^/0~. 


Spotless  onb  £  earless 
Storp  of  tt)*  ttheoolier  Sahara 


"4B»em" 


A  Collection  of  World-famous  Classics  in  dainty 
binding.  Photogravure  frontispiece.  Ve- 
netian morocco.  Per  volume,  $1.00. 

RASSELAS.      By  SAMUEL  JOHNSON,   LL.D. 

RELIGIO   MEDICI,   ETC.      By  SIR  THOMAS 
BROWNE. 

THE     STORY     OF     THE     CHEVALIER 
BAYARD.      By   EDITH  WELFORD. 

VATHEK:  An  Eastern  Romance.      By  WILL- 
IAM  BECKFORD. 

ABDALLAH;  OR,  THF.   FOUR-LEAVED 
SHAMROCK. 

PARABLES    FROM    NATURE.      By  MRS. 
GATTY.      In  two  volumes. 


of  tjie 


FROM  THE  FRENCH  OF 
THE  LOYAL  SERVANT,  M. 
DE  BERVILLE,  AND  OTHERS 


^ 


WITH  NOTESAND  INTRO- 
DUCTION   BY   THE    EDITOR 

"Spotless  and  Fearless" 


NEW  YORK 

$ott  9  Company 

MCM 


St  *'"**> 


"  Praise  of  him  must  walk  the  earth 
For  ever,  and  to  noble  deeds  give  birth. 
This  is  the  happy  warrior :  this  is  he 
That  every  man  in  arms  would  wish  to  be." 

WORDSWORTH. 


Contents 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY     .....      xi-xxvi    I 

CHAPTER   I. 

Parentage  and  birth  of  Bayard. — Death  of  Aymond 
Terrail. — The  Bishop  of  Grenoble. —Bayard's 
first  tournament. — Bellabre  and  the  Abbot.— 
Generosity  of  Bayard  :  '  .'  .  .  .  .  I 

CHAPTER   II. 

Bayard  follows  Charles  VIII.  into  Italy. — Bayard  dis- 
tinguishes himself. — Death  of  the  king  .  .  27 

CHAPTER    III. 

Louis  XII.  succeeds  to  the  throne. — Bayard  gives  a 
tournament. — Italian  towns  submit  to  Ludovic 
Sforza. — Bayard  is  taken  prisoner. — Generosity 
of  Sforza  ........  32 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Ludovic  is  attacked  and  defeated  in  Novarra. — Ludo- 
vic is  taken  prisoner. — His  death. — Other  Italian 
towns  are  conquered. — Generosity  of  Bayard. — 
Naples  is  conquered. — Treaty  with  Ferdinand  of 
Arragon. — Adventures  of  Bayard. — Don  Alonzo 
prisoner. — His  escape  and  re-capture. — Bayard 
challenges  Don  Alonzo. — Death  of  the  Spaniard  .  42 


(Contents 


CHAPTER  V. 

PAGE 

Bayard's  thanksgiving. — A  truce  is  proclaimed. — 
Bayard  skirmishes  with  Spaniards,  is  victorious. 
— Dispute  with  Tardieu. — Bayard's  usual  gener- 
osity . 57 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Engagement  at  the  Garilliano. — Bayard  is  taken  pris- 
oner and  recaptured. — Julius  II.  hostile  to 
France. — Illness  of  Bayard. — Bayard  takes  a 
mountain  fort. —  Paul  de  Novi  beheaded. — 
Further  victories  in  Italy. — Padua  surprised,  and 
retaken  by  the  Venetians. — Count  of  Petigliano 
occupies  Padua. — The  Emperor  with  Chabannes 
and  Bayard  take  Montselles  and  encamp  before 
Padua. — Hot  fighting  at  the  barriers  of  Vicenza. 
— Enormous  booty. — Treason  in  the  camp. — 
Skirmishes. — Malvezze  is  attacked  and  routed. 
— He  escapes. — Bayard  is  congratulated  .  .  62 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Skirmish  with  Scanderbeg. — Guignes  Geoffrey  takes 
a  prisoner. — Bravery  of  the  young  soldier. — Bay- 
ard takes  the  Castle  of  Bassano. — Valuable  booty. 
— Dispute  between  victor  and  vanquished. — Cha- 
bannes is  perplexed. — Bayard  solves  the  diffi- 
culty.— Germans  refuse  to  go  to  the  breach  .  93 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Departure  of  the  Emperor. — Return  of  the  armies  to 
Vicenza. — Separation. — Bayard  at  Verona. — His 
exploits. — Bayard  meets  Manfroni. — Foraging 
party  surprised. — Bayard's  horse  is  killed. — Bay- 
ard victorious  .......  109 


CHAPTER   IX. 

PAGE 

Treachery  of  a  spy. — Captain  Sucker  does  good  ser- 
vice.— Bayard  defeats  Manfroni. — Bayard  well 
received  in  Italy. — French  reinforcement. — Li- 
gnago  is  taken. — Death  of  Cardinal  d'Amboise. 
— Shocking  cruelty. — Return  to  Montselles. — 
Meeting  with  Creates. — Lord  Mercure  and  his 
cousin. — Re-taking  of  Montselles  .  .  .  120 

CHAPTER   X. 

Julius  II.  declares  war  against  Ferrara. — Another 
treacherous  spy. — Total  defeat  of  the  French. — 
Death  of  Malherbe. — Gritti's  stratagem  fails  .  139 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Julius  II.  and  La  Mirandola. — Bayard  and  others 
prepare  to  aid  the  Countess. — Bayard  lays  a 
plan .  .  148 

CHAPTER   XII. 

The  Pope  saved  by  a  snowstorm.— Severe  frost. — 
The  Countess  capitulates. — La  Mirandola  taken. 
— Julius  contemplates  the  reduction  of  Ferrara. 
— He  determines  to  take  La  Bastia  .  .  .153 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Bayard  the  Counsellor. — His  advice   is  taken. — La 

Bastia  approached. — Defeat  of  the  Pope    .         .160 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Anne  Sforza. — Death  of  the  Lord  of  Montoison. — 
Duke  of  Urbino  opposes  the  siege  of  Ferrara. — 
Julius  plans  to  take  the  town  by  surprise. — Hor- 
rible treachery  of  the  Pope. — Surprise  of  Bayard. 
— Disagreement  of  the  Duke  and  Bayard  .  .168 


CHAPTER   XV. 

PAGE 

Julius  returns  to  Rome. — Marshal  Trivulce  retakes 
La  Mirandola. — Glory  of  Bayard.— Bayard  ac- 
companies Chabannes. — A  duel. — Venetians  be- 
siege Verona. — Bayard  avenges  the  Baron  of 
Conti's  death. — Army  stops  at  Carpi. — A  mar- 
vellous astrologer. —  Fortune-telling. — Strange 
predictions. — Duke  of  Nemours  goes  to  Ferrara. 
— The  siege  of  Bologna  is  raised  .  .  .179 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

Brescia. — Juvenile  quarrel. — Brescia  taken. — The 
castle  holds  out. — After  much  fighting  Brescia 
is  retaken. — Bayard  wounded. — Conveyed  to  a 
neighbouring  house. — Generous  and  friendly 
conduct  to  its  inmates. — The  Duke  de  Nemours 
visits  Bayard  daily  ......  195 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Bayard  is  convalescent. — The  surgeon  takes  leave  of 
him. — Affecting  interviews  between  Bayard  and 
his  host's  family. ; — Bayard's  generosity. — Bayard 
receives  presents,  and  takes  his  leave  .  .  217 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Bayard  goes  to  Bologna. — Captain  Jacob. — Opinions 
are  divided. — Ravenna  is  cannonaded. — The 
Baron  of  Beam  and  Bayard  go  out  to  skirmish. 
— They  retreat  in  good  order. — Battle  is  ordered 
for  Easter  Sunday 224 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

A  bridge  is  built. — Conversation  between  Bayard  and 
Don  Pedro  de  Paes. — The  battle  of  Ravenna 
commences. — Captain  Jacob  dies. — The  Duke  of 
Nemours  dies. — Total  defeat  of  the  Spaniards  .  238 


CHAPTER   XX. 

PACK 

Letter  of  the  Knight  Bayard  to  Laurent  Alleman,  his 

uncle,  on  the  battle  of  Ravenna          .         .         .257 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

Obsequies  of  the  Duke  of  Nemours. — The  Pope's 
orders  disregarded. — The  Cardinal  de  Medicis 
escapes.  —  Engagement  at  Pavia.  —  Bayard 
wounded. — Bayard  visits  Grenoble. — He  fetes 
the  nobility. — A  gallant  adventure. — Bayard's 
noble-mindedness. — Bayard  follows  the  army  to 
Pampeluna. — The  lansquenets  refuse  to  fight. — 
A  successful  adventure. — An  amusing  lansque- 
net.— The  siege  of  Pampeluna  is  raised  .  .  262 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

Bayard's  hospitality. — Julius  II.  dies. — French  re- 
treat from  Italy  with  great  loss. — Henry  VIII. 
nearly  taken  prisoner. — Bayard  is  taken  prisoner, 
and  takes  a  prisoner. — Their  dispute  is  settled. 
— Louis  marries  Mary,  sister  to  Henry  VIII. — 
Louis  dies,  and  is  succeeded  by  Francis  I. — Co- 
lonna  is  taken  prisoner  .....  280 

CHAPTER  XXIIL 

Bayard  narrowly  escapes  death. — The  Swiss  are  en- 
tirely defeated,  and  return  to  their  country. — The 
king  is  knighted  by  Bayard. — Ferdinand  of  Arra- 
gon  is  knighted  ......  308 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

A  dauphin  is  born — Bayard  saves  the  town  of  Me- 

zieres         ........     318 


OTonUnts 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

PACK 

Bayard    returns  to  France,  where  he  exercises  his 

generous  qualities      ......     332 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Lodi  is  taken. — Bayard  is  made  to  occupy  a  danger- 
ous post.  —  Bayard  is  mortally  wounded      .         .     337 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 

Generosity  of  the  Marquis  of  Pescara. — Bayard  dies. 

— Character  of  Bayard        .....     347 

ADDITIONAL  NOTES 358 

EPITAPH  OF  BAYARD 360 


Sntrotruction 

THE  name  of  Bayard  '  is  very  familiar  to 
all  of  us  English,  who  love  bravery 
and  a  career  of  adventure ;  but  the  story  of 
the  life  of  the  Spotless  and  Fearless  Knight 
is  very  little  known.  It  is  now  two  cen- 
turies and  a  half  since  Etienne  Pasquier 
wrote  that  he  endeavoured  "  to  refresh  and 
restore  the  memory  of  a  good  knight  almost 
buried  beneath  the  ingratitude  of  years." 
And  his  later  French  biographer,  M.  Henry 
D'Audigier,  writing  in  1862,  quotes  these 
words,  which  we  cannot  do  better  than 
adopt.  For  such  a  memory  is  worth  restor- 
ing, not  because  the  man  was  a  brave  soul, 
but  because  he  was  generous,  just,  merciful, 
a  despiser  of  mere  riches,  a  model  of  manly 
virtues,  cheerful  as  the  day,  witty,  modest, 
and  full  of  that  kind  of  "  pluck,"  to  use  a 

1  Bayard  and  not  Bayanf.  We  write  the  name  as  our  hero 
signed  it  himself.  The  President  Salvaing  de  Bossiero,  in  the 
1 7th  century,  criticised  the  common  orthography,  and  said  : 
"  B  ay ar  tius  sic  enim  vocandus,  non  ut  vulgo,  Bayardus"  So 
M.  D'Audigier.  We  have  been,  however,  constrained  to  use  the 
spelling  now  so  thoroughly  accepted  in  France,  Spain  (whence 
perhaps  £ayardos,  the  first  deflection),  Germany,  and  England, 
that  the  true  name  looks  strange  and  pedantic  ;  and  thus  Shak- 
spere,  perhaps  though  the  more  correct,  looks  somewhat  like  an 
offence  to  those  who  prefer  thechivalric  and  heroic  Shake-spear. 


xii  Introduction 

common  but  expressive  word,  which  always 
rose  to  its  greatest  height  in  any  danger, 
rose  with  the  danger,  and  faced  it  to  the 
last ;  moreover,  because  he  carried  out  fairly 
and  truly  Wordsworth's  character  of  the 
happy  warrior,  who  in  sudden  danger  was 
not  cast  down,  but — 

"  Happy  as  a  lover  ;  and  attired 
With  sudden  brightness  as  a  man  inspired." 

And  because  he  will  recall  to  modern  ears, 
says  M.  D'Audigier,  "  those  old  and  too  lit- 
tle remembered  words,  honour,  duty,  justice, 
loyalty,  liberality,  gallantry,  and  gayety " 
(the  gladness  of  good  sense,  and  a  pure  con- 
science, that  fine  humour  which  inspires 
strong  and  healthy  souls),  "  all  noble  and 
charming  things,  once  signified  by  a  single 
word  Chivalry,  of  which  one  Chevalier '  Bay- 
ard was  the  very  personification,  the  best 
that  is  found  in  our  annals." 

'  Three  qualities,"   says  the   Loyal  Ser- 

1  Knighthood  and  knight  would  be  the  exact  translation  of 
chevalrie  and  chevalier,  but  of  course  in  our  tongue  the  strict  im- 
port of  the  words  has  been  lost,  since  the  government  makes 
knights  of  successful  timber  merchants,  plotting  lawyers,  gro- 
cers who  deliver  an  address,  and  mere  citizens  who  by  chance 
fill  the  office  of  mayor  when  royalty  passes  by,  or  its  guest  hon- 
ours the  city.  As  it  would  be  impossible  for  any  one  to  under- 
stand M.  D'Audigier's  graceful  antithetical  figure  by  the  mean- 
ing affixed  to  the  words  knight  and  knighthood,  I  have  retained 
the  French  form. 


vant,  "  marked  him  for  a  perfect  soldier;  he 
was  a  greyhound  for  attack,  a  wild  boar  in 
defence,  and  a  wolf  in  retreat.  In  short," 
concludes  this  excellent  writer,  his  friend 
and  secretary,  "  it  would  take  a  good  orator 
his  life  to  recount  all  his  virtues;  I,  who  am 
unskilled  in  learning,  cannot  pretend  to  it." 
And  yet,  though  he  puts  it  thus,  he  paints 
with  such  skill,  that  it  is  a  pity  that  his  book 
should  die.  In  his  pages  we  see  and  hear 
the  good  knight,  and  behold  him  always 
joyous  and  merry,  a  true  gentleman  of  the 
grand  old  school,  remounting  a  poor  knight, 
by  exchanging  a  Spanish  charger,  worth  300 
crowns,  for  a  sorry  nag  worth  six,  and  per- 
suading the  gentleman  that  the  latter  was 
just  the  nag  to  suit  his  purpose.  He  was  but 
a  poor  flatterer,  and  always  spoke  the  truth, 
even  to  the  greatest  princes.  He  looked  with 
contempt  on  this  world's  wealth,  and  was  at 
his  death  no  richer  than  at  his  birth.  ' '  In  war 
none  excelled  him ;  in  conduct  he  was  a  Fa- 
bius  Maximus;  in  enterprise,  aCoriolanus;  in 
courage  and  magnanimity,  a  second  Hector. 

As  the  grandfather  and  great-grandfather 
of  Bayard  fell  fighting  against  the  English, 
and  the  good  knight  himself  crossed  swords 
with  us,  and  was  a  prisoner  to  our  king,  it 
seems  to  me  a  worthy  thing  to  put  his  life 


fntrotructton 


before  a  nation  that  always  loved  the  quali- 
ties which  distinguished  him ;  moreover,  the 
book  is  full  of  interest,  and  although  it  ends 
tragically — if  a  glorious  death  be  tragic — is 
yet  as  its  originator  calls  it,  a  right  joyous, 
pleasant,  and  refreshing  history,  full  of  most 
interesting  pictures,  described  by  an  eye- 
witness, who  speaks  not  like  an  uncertain 
chronicler,  but  as  one  who  had  seen  what 
he  described.  This  gentleman  (possibly 
Jacques  Jeoffre  of  Milieu,  see  p.  345),  who 
has  not  let  posterity  know  his  name,  but 
who  calls  himself"  The  Loyal  Servant,"  put 
forth  his  book  in  1527,  three  years  after  the 
hero's  death,  and  from  that  the  following 
title-page  is  transcribed : 

Ha  trc#  lozenge  plafgantc 

recreative  Bgefoire,  compose   par  fe  fogaf  sertnfeur 

oec  foi-j  Qcefee  frtomp0es  ti  prouesses  bu  Bon 

djevaftcr  satis  yaour  ti  sans  reproucl>e  fe  genf  if 

Jietgneur  be  QSagarf  bonf  ^utnaines  fouetigeo 

eonf  repanbues  par  tout e  fa  djrcsf icnfe  ©e 

pfttBteurs  auf res  Sons  vattfanc  ef  tierfueur 

ca^nfatnes  qui  onf  esfe  be  eon  fempc. 

(SnsemBfe  ses  guerres  Bafatfteo 

confrcQ  ef  assauf^  qui  be  son 

vioanf  eonf  sumnes  ianf 

en  Srance  (gsyatgne 

que  3fafie. 
PARIS,  1527.  Jit 


Jntrofctiction 


This  work  is  the  basis  of  every  life  that 
we  have  of  Bayard,  and  it  is  so  well  written 
and  amusing  that  others  have  done  well  to 
do  little  else  but  copy  it.  In  1616,  M.  Th6- 
odore  de  Godefroy  '  published  a  quarto  vol- 
ume, with  a  portrait  of  Bayard,  probably 
about  as  unlike  him  as  a  portrait*  well  can 
be,  and  being  little  else  but  the  story  of  the 
Loyal  Servant  reprinted  in  more  modern 
French,  with  the  addition  of  100  pages  of 
annotations,  chiefly  without  interest. 

In  1789,  at  Grenoble,  a  place  dear  to  Bay- 
ard, M.  Gagnon  fils,  avocat  au  parlement, 
made  a  grand  Historic  Eulogium  on  Bayard, 
in  which  he  repeats  many  of  the  gestes  and 
feats  of  the  knight,  and  this  tloge  was  hon- 
ourably mentioned.  In  1834,  M.  Cimber, 
of  the  Bibliotheque  Royale  of  Paris,  pub- 
lished, in  his  collection  of  curious  archives 
in  the  history  of  France,  four  curious  works 
(he  says  six,  but  two  are  suppressed)  which 

1  Histoire  du  Chevalier  Bayard,  Lieutenant-Ge'ne'ral  pour 
Roy  au  Gouvernement  de  Dauphin^,  &c.  &c.,  by  Theodore 
Godefroy.  Paris,  1616. 

*  It  represents  the  chevalier  as  a  hard-featured  man,  with  a 
Saracen'  s-head  look,  in  armour,  with  a  hand  leaning  on  his 
helmet.  The  armour  has  the  merit  of  being  somewhat  like  the 
armour  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  though  the  casque  has  an 
impracticable  visor.  Our  own  portrait  has  a  Roman  helmet, 
but  is  the  received  likeness  of  Bayard  adopted  from  his  bust  set 
over  his  tomb  in  the  Church  of  the  Minims,  founded  by  his 
uncle  the  Bishop  of  Grenoble. 


relate  to  Bayard.  Some  contain  his  moral 
sayings ;  the  fourth  compares  him  with ' '  three 
Gentiles,  three  Jews,  and  three  Christians;  " 
the  sixth  contains  orations,  lamentations, 
and  epitaphs.  The  first  of  these  books  was 
composed  by  Messire  Symphorien  Cham- 
pier,  doctor  and  knight,  and  has  been  used 
for  the  sake  of  annotations,  though  it  con- 
tains little  worth  studying;  from  the  last  we 
here  translate  the  following  proverbs  and 
moral  answers  of  Bayard,  and  transcribe  a 
song,  worthy  to  be  remembered  on  account 
of  its  quaint  sadness. 

"  One  day  a  noble  knight  asked  Bayard 
what  goods  and  chattels  a  gentleman  should 
leave  to  his  children. 

' '  Answered  the  knight :  '  The  father  should 
leave  that  which  fears  no  rain,  tempest,  or 
the  force  of  man,  or  the  weakness  of  human 
justice — that  is,  wisdom  and  virtue;  like  in- 
deed unto  him  who  would  plant  a  garden, 
and  put  therein  good  seed  and  sound  trees.' 

"  Said  another  to  him:  '  What  difference 
is  there  between  a  wise  man  and  a  fool  ? ' 

'  The  same,'  said  he,  '  that  there  is  be- 
tween a  sick  man  and  his  doctor.' 

"Another  said  to  him  with  a  sneer: 
'  Well,  Bayard,  certes  I  can  behold  goodly 
lands,  and  worldly  riches,  but  I  never  can 


Jntrotruction  xvii 

clap  my  eyes  on  that  prudence  and  wisdom 
that  you  have  so  much  praised.' 

"  Respondet  Knight  Bayard:  '  Certes,  I 
wonder  not  at  all  that  you  see  earthly  goods, 
for  you  have  eyes  of  earth,  earthy,  but  you 
have  not  the  eyes  of  heaven,  to  behold  pru- 
dence, and  to  catch  sight  of  wisdom.' 

"  One  day  Bayard  heard  two  young  pages 
swearing  by  the  name  of  God,  and  he  pun- 
ished them  very  severely. 

'  Knight  Bayard,'  said  a  gentleman, 
'  you  punish  these  boys  for  a  very  little 
thing.' 

'"Little  thing!'  cried  the  knight.  'A 
bad  habit  contracted  in  youth  is  no  little 
thing,  but  a  great  thing  indeed. ' 

'  The  good  knight  said  many  other  moral 
proverbs,  but  they  have  quite  slipped  my 
memory." 

Thus  far  the  chronicler,  and  considering 
how  good  those  are  that  he  has  given  us,  we 
must  be  sorry  that  they  have  done  so.1 

In  1699,  Aimac,  a  barrister  (avocat\  pub- 
lished at  Lyons  a  life  of  Bayard,  at  which 
we  have  glanced,  and  which  is  well-  charac- 

1  M.  Ciraber  adds  that  "  Bayard  once  told  a  lord  that  he 
should  only  surround  himself  with  worthy  people,  and  it  appears 
that  it  is  to  him  that  we  owe  this  proverb, '  Like  master,  like 
man.'  "  Tel  maitre,  tel  valet.  Valet  did  not  then  signify  the 
menial  thing  it  does  now,  but  a  follower  in  the  field  of  battle. 


$ntroi»uction 


terized  by  M.  Petitot,1  as  forming  a  little 
volume  in  I2mo,  and  being  written  with 
extreme  meanness  (d'une  grande  medio- 
critt}.  In  1702,  a  new  history  of  Bayard 
appeared  in  Paris,  in  I2mo,  under  the  name 
of  the  Prior  de  Louval,  the  true  author  being 
the  Canon  of  Avalon.  "  His  book,"  says 
M.  Petitot,  "  is  merely  that  of  the  Loyal 
Servant  painfully  translated  into  the  modern 
tongue." 

In  1760,  M.  Guyard  de  Berville  published 
a  "  Histoire  du  Bayard,"  which  ran  through 
many  editions.  '  This  work,"  says  M.  Peti- 
tot, "  is  weakly  written,  and  is  only  valuable 
on  this  account,  that  its  author  has  neglected 
nothing  which  can  make  us  better  acquainted 
with  our  hero."  The  truth  is  that  M.  de 
Berville  has  taken  from  Champier,  Godefroy, 
and  others  all  that  he  could,  has  given  the 
dates  of  the  episodes,  connected  the  story 
by  relating  the  political  history  which  led  to 
the  various  battles,  and  has  made  the  me- 
moirs of  the  Loyal  Servant  thoroughly  con- 
nected and  historical.  As  to  its  weakness, 
that  should  disappear  in  a  vigorous  transla- 
tion did  it  exist,  but  it  does  not.  In  all  that 

1  Collection  complete  des  Memoires  relatifs  a  1'  Histoire  de 
France,  depuis  le  regne  de  Phillippe-Auguste,  jusqu'au  com- 
mencement du  dix-septieme  siecle,  &c.,  par  M.  Petitot.  Paris, 
1827. 


relates  to  our  hero,  De  Berville  copies  the 
Loyal  Servant  so  closely  that  Southey's 
vigorous  English  reads  as  a  mere  translation 
of  De  Berville;  hence  his  book  has  been 
used  as  the  basis  of  the  present  volume. 

In  1825  Robert  Southey  translated,  or 
caused  to  be  translated,  the  life  of  Bayard 
from  the  book  of  the  Loyal  Servant.  It 
was  published  by  Murray  in  two  volumes, 
but  is  carelessly  done.  Every  now  and  then 
the  translator  misses  the  sense  of  the  author, 
and  some  words,  such  as  grande-buffe,  he 
utterly  mistakes;  nevertheless  there  is  fine 
and  vigorous  English  about  it,  as  there  is  in 
all  Southey's  work,  and  we  have  availed  our- 
selves of  the  book  and  its  annotations, 
whereby  we  have  found  that  our  book  has 
been  made  more  complete  and  interesting. 
In  1848  Edward  Cockburn  Kindersley  pub- 
lished a  condensed  translation  in  English  of 
the  Loyal  Servant's  work,  to  the  notes  of 
which,  some  of  them  furnished  by  Mr.  Al- 
bert Way,  we  confess  our  obligations.  And 
in  1862,  M.  Henry  D'Audigier1  published  a 
volume,  which  is  a  kind  of  romance,  written 
in  the  subjective  style  which  Lord  Macaulay 

1  Histoire  de  PIERRE  TERRAIL,  seigneur  de  Bayart,  dit  Le 
Chevalier  sans  peur,  et  sans  reproche,  par  Henry  D'Audigier. 
Paris,  1862. 


introduction 


made  so  popular  in  England,  but  which 
every  scholar  knows  to  be  so  false.  Thus, 
when  a  late  pictorial  writer  describes  our 
Saviour  as  having  his  face  suffused  by  a 
modest  blush  when  he  stooped  down  to 
write  that  awful  and  marvellous  sentence  in 
the  dust,  "  Let  him  who  is  without  sin 
amongst  you  cast  the  first  stone,"  relative 
to  the  woman  taken  in  adultery,  every  one 
feels  that  the  assertion  is  impudent  and  un- 
true. The  judge  does  not  blush  for  the 
woman ;  a  blush  assumes  a  perturbation  of 
feeling  utterly  foreign  to  the  nature  of  the 
Incarnate.  So  when  Mr.  H.  Dixon,  in  his 
"  Holy  Land,"  describes  the  Saviour  and 
his  apostles,  as  if  he  had  been  at  their  elbows 
noting  down  the  little  idylls,  as  he  queerly 
calls  the  miraculous  works  of  the  anointed 
Christ,  we  feel  that  the  realism  is  imperti- 
nent and  false,  and  that  it  utterly  misses  its 
aim;  so  also  this  writer's  exquisitely  outrt 
phrase,  with  which  he  commences  one  of  his 
chapters,  shocks  us  plain  men:  "  On  the 
whip  hand,  as  you  enter  Jerusalem,  you  ob- 
serve," etc.  This  might  have  been  written 
by  an  Arab,  did  an  Arab  carry  a  whip,  but  not 
by  a  writer  who  was  barely  a  fortnight  in  the 
city  with  which  he  is  so  marvellously  familiar. 
In  a  like  manner  we  think  that  M.  Henry 


D'Audigier  has  failed  through  want  of  taste 
in  his  story  of  Bayard.  He  has  "  reported  " 
speeches  that  were  never  made,  described 
certain  days  as  fine,  full  of  sunshine,  or 
black  with  rain,  to  suit  his  purpose,  and  has 
produced  a  novel,  not  a  history.  It  is,  no 
doubt,  very  vivid,  but  a  little  thought  en- 
tirely overthrows  the  scaffolding,  and  makes 
great  holes  in  the  canvas  painted  to  look 
like  stone.  But  M.  D'Audigier  has  a  noble 
comprehension  of  our  hero,  and  to  his  book 
and  its  notes  we  are  indebted  for  some  in- 
teresting facts  in  this  introduction.  To 
various  other  histories  and  works1  we  are 
also  indebted. 

To  those  who  think  of  kings  and  royal 
personages  as  beings  able  to  use  their  brains, 
and  to  recognize  and  reward  talent — a  light 
in  which,  as  boys  with  many  romantic  illu- 
sions, many  of  us  loyally  regard  them — one 
will  wonder  that  Bayard  was  so  little  re- 
garded and  recompensed  by  his  monarch. 
"  I  have  lost  a  great  captain,  whose  name 
made  my  armies  to  be  honoured  and  feared, 
and  truly  he  merited  better  employment  and 

1  Especially  to  "  Archives  curieuses  de  1'Histoire  de  France, 
depuis  Louis  XI.  jusqu'a  Louis  XVII  ;  ou  Collection  des  pieces 
rares  et  int6ressantes,  celles  que  chroniques  me'moires,  &c.,  par 
M.  L.  Cimber  et  autres  personnes  employees  a  la  Bibliotheque 
Roy  ale."  Paris,  1834. 


introduction 


higher  charges  than  ever  I  gave  him. ' '  That 
is  what  Francis  I.  of  France  said  of  him ; 
and  afterwards,  as  he  well  had  cause,  he  was 
heard  to  murmur:  "  Ah,  Captain  Bayard, 
how  much  I  do  miss  you  I ' ' 

A  strange  confession  for  such  a  king.  But 
what  does  it  amount  to?  says  M.  D'Audigier. 
Francis  thought  of  Bayard,  no  doubt;  but 
why  ?  Because  his  interests  suffered,  not  his 
heart.  Kings  make  use  of  their  Bayards, 
but  they  love  only  their  Bonivets. 

Henry  IV.,  as  it  was  fitting,  passing  by 
Grenoble  in  1601,  remembered  Bayard,  and 
asked  was  there  no  monument  to  him.  He 
said  he  would  have  liked  to  have  raised  a 
tomb  to  so  pure,  so  beautiful  a  fame;  but 
words  did  not  ripen  into  deeds.  In  1619  the 
government  of  the  province  voted  a  thou- 
sand livres  for  a  statue,  but  it  was  only  a 
vote — they  could  not  spare  them.  What, 
could  not  the  descendants  of  those  hundred 
orphan  girls — noblewomen  and  gentlewomen 
— whom  the  good  knight  had  dowered  with 
his  property,  "  sans  en  faire  bruit,"  without 
making  any  fuss  about  it,  spare  a  livre  or 
so  ?  asks  a  writer.  No,  it  was  not  to  be  so. 
About  1650  a  private  gentleman,  neither 
relation  nor  connection  of  the  knight,  named 
Scipio  de  Polloud,  raised  a  white  marble 


jhttrotructiott 


bust  to  his  memory  in  the  Church  of  the 
Minims,  on  a  tomb  surmounted  by  a  Latin 
epitaph,  of  which  we  have  given  a  copy; 
and  at  last,  in  June,  1823,  three  hundred 
years  too  late,  a  statue  was  raised  at  the 
Place  of  St.  Andre",  Grenoble,  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Bayard.  The  artist  had  to  draw 
from  imagination,  for  history  supplies  but  a 
vague  guide  for  him  to  work  from  ;  but  what 
boots  it  ? 

Bayard's  daughter,  Jeanne,  married,  one 
year  after  her  father's  death,  Francois  de 
Bocsozel,  Seigneur  de  Chastelart,  and  her 
descendants  are  represented  in  1823  by  Mad- 
ame d'Attenas,  n£e  Bocsozel,  who  was  in- 
vited to  the  inauguration  of  the  too  tardily 
raised  statue.  George,  the  only  brother  of 
the  good  knight  who  married,  died  without 
heirs  male,  and  the  last  holders  of  the  name 
of  Terrail,  issue  of  a  cousin  of  our  hero,  died 
out,  in  the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth 
century;  so  that  the  name  Bayard  alone  sur- 
vives. That  name  (I  remember  with  pleas- 
ure) was,  by  common  consent,  applied  to 
my  revered  friend  Sir  James  Outram,  one 
as  widely  appreciated  and  as  generally  neg- 
lected as  the  good  knight,  who  himself  died 
with  the  plain  "  Sir"  before  his  name,  the 
Bayard  of  India. 


The  castle  in  which  Bayard  was  born  is 
only  about  ten  minutes'  walk  from  Pond- 
charra.  From  it  you  have  an  admirable 
view  of  the  valley  of  Gresivaudan,  the  con- 
vent of  the  Grande-Chartreuse,  and  the 
mountains  of  Beauges.  Entering  a  dilapi- 
dated gateway,  one  beholds  two  ruinous 
structures.  One  of  these,  which  was  a 
chapel,  is  now  a  stable.  The  other  serves 
for  the  dwelling  of  the  steward  of  the  prop- 
erty. '  The  principal  tower  had  three 
stories,  of  which  the  first  only  remains. 
They  still  show  the  chamber  of  Bayard,  and 
that  in  which  Helene  of  Allemans  first  saw 
the  light.  The  stables,  the  cellar,  and  the 
refectory  and  kitchen  are  well  preserved ;  all 
the  rest  is  completely  destroyed.  The  Due 
of  Berry,  just  before  his  assassination,  had 
ordered  one  of  his  friends  to  buy  the  cha- 
teau, intending  to  restore  it  and  to  make  it 
a  princely  residence,  but  the  poniard  of 
Louvel  put  an  end  to  that  dream."  ' 

But  if  kings  did  not  appreciate  the  good 
knight,  we  shall  see  in  this  history  that  his 
enemies,  his  friends,  and  his  companions 
did,  and  it  is  worth  while  to  rescue  from 
oblivion  this  sad  song  of  his  companions: 

1  Itineraire  descriptif  et  historique  du  Dauphin€. 


Introduction  xxv 


Lamentation  et  complaincte par  maniere  de  chanson 

de  la  mort  du  bon  Bayard  faicte  par  les  avan- 

turiers  au  retour  de  Lombardie. 

Aydez-moi  tous  ^  plaindre, 

Pouvres  advanturiers, 
Sans  poinct  vous  vouloir  faindre, 

Ung  si  noble  pilier  ! 
C'estoist  le  singulier 

Sur  tous  les  gensd'armes  ; 
Car  dedans  un  miller 

Une  tel  n'avoit  en  armes. 

Le  jour  de  Sainct  Estroppe, 

Bayard,  noble  seigneur, 
Voyant  les  ennemis  en  troppe, 

II  monstra  sa  valeur. 
C'estoit  par  faveur 

De  la  faulce  canaille, 
Dont  luy  vint  ce  malheur — 

Mauldicte  soit  la  bataille  ! 

Plourez,  Plourez,  gendarmes 

A  cheval  et  k  pied  ; 
Car  jamais  d'homme  d'armes 

Ne  vous  en  veinst  pis. 
II  a  tenu  bon  pied 

Sans  faire  au  Roy  tort 
Dont  a  luy  fut  le  pis 

Car  gaigne"  k  la  mort. 

Le  vaillant  chevalier 

II  pensoit  nuyct  et  jour, 
Comme  pourrait  bailler 

Au  genx  du  Roy  secours. 


xxvi  tfntrotiuction 

Adonc  il  prit  le  cours 

Centre  ses  ennemys, 
Dont  ses  jours  en  sont  cours, 

Vous  voyez  mes  amys. 

Ha  pouvre  Dauphine", 

Tu  peulx  bien  dire  he"las  ! 
Avant  qu'il  soit  fine" 

Tu  en  seras  bien  las. 
Tu  as  perdu  ton  solas, 

Et  encore  de  rechief 
Tu  peulx  bien  dire  hdas  ! 

II  te  coustera  cher. 

And  with  this  sad  echo  of  the  old  free- 
lance companions  of  the  good  knight,  the 
editor  and  translator  take  leave  of  their 
readers,  wishing  them  a  full  enjoyment  and 
noble  appreciation  of  these  joyous  and  pleas- 
ant feats  and  gestes  of  the  good  knight,  and 
repeating  the  farewell  words  of  the  Loyal 
Servant  in  excuse  for  any  shortcomings: 
"  But  as  for  what  I  have  said  herein,  I  do 
beg  all  readers  of  this  history  to  take  it 
kindly  and  in  goodwill,  for  I  have  done  the 
best  that  I  could,  though  not,  indeed,  all 
that  was  due  to  the  praise  of  so  perfect  and 
virtuous  a  person  as  the  good  knight  with- 
out fear  and  without  reproach,  the  gentle 
Lord  of  Bayard,  whose  soul  may  God  in  His 
grace  grant  to  rest  with  Him  in  Paradise. 
Amen." 


antr 


CHAPTER   I 

BAYARD,  whose  goodness  and  valour,  in- 
trepidity and  prudence,  coolness  and 
presence  of  mind,  patriotism  and  piety, 
gained  him  one  of  the  noblest  reputations 
ever  acquired  by  a  soldier,  and  the  all-envied 
title,  "  Le  chevalier  sans  peur  et  sans  re- 
proche,"  was  born  in  1476,  while  Louis  XL 
was  on  the  throne  of  France.  The  chateau 
Bayard,  in  Dauphiny,  was  his  birthplace,  and 
when  Guillaume  d'Avencon,  Archbishop  of 
Embrun,  came  into  possession  of  the  estate, 
and  found  that  the  castle  wanted  repairs,  he 
gave  orders  that  the  room  which  Bayard 
had  occupied  should  be  kept  untouched,  out 
of  respect  to  the  memory  of  so  great  a 
man. 

Historians  who  have  written  his  life  have 
told  us  little  of  the  earliest  years  of  the  boy 
who  distinguished  himself  so  much  as  a  man. 


anii 


Doubtless  he  passed  them  as  other  children 
do,  in  receiving  instruction,  and  joining 
others  of  his  age  in  the  amusements  then 
general. 

When  still  a  child,  hardly  thirteen,  his 
father,  who  felt  that  his  end  was  approach- 
ing, sent  for  his  four  children,  their  mother 
being  present,  to  ask  them  what  professions 
they  chose.  The  eldest  declared  his  wish  to 
live  with  his  parents  as  long  as  they  lived, 
and  to  enjoy  his  inheritance  peaceably  after- 
ward. Bayard,  the  second,  spoke  after  his 
brother,  and,  with  a  spirit  astonishing  in 
one  so  young,  said  that,  holding  so  glorious 
and  illustrious  a  name  —  a  name  unsullied 
and  untarnished  by  numerous  ancestors  who 
had  borne  it,  and  who  had  glorified  it  by  in- 
comparable feats  of  arms  —  he  begged  leave 
to  try  and  imitate  them.  That  was  his 
wish,  and  he  hoped,  by  the  help  of  God, 
never  to  take  one  sparkle  from  the  glory  of 
those  of  his  house  whose  high  deeds  he  had 
often  heard  with  such  thrilling  pleasure. 
The  father  was  moved  to  tears  by  the  zeal 
and  earnestness  of  the  boy.  "  My  son," 
said  he,  "  you  are  already  in  face  and  figure 
like  your  grandfather,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  gentlemen  of  his  time. 
I  am  rejoiced  at  your  resolution,  and  I  will 


Hife  of 


do  all  I  can  to  forward  your  wishes,  by  plac- 
ing you  in  the  house  of  some  prince  where 
you  will  learn  all  noble  and  manly  exercises 
fitting  for  a  knight." 

Aymond  Terrail  lost  no  time,  but  the  next 
day  sent  for  his  brother-in-law,  the  Bishop 
of  Grenoble,  to  consult  with  him  as  to  what 
should  be  done.  The  good  bishop  came 
with  many  more  knights  to  a  banquet  which 
Aymond  had  prepared,  and  at  which  the 
young  Bayard  served  with  a  grace  and  mod- 
esty that  drew  praise  from  all  present.  After 
the  banquet,  the  old  man  told  them  how  he 
had  questioned  his  sons,  and  of  the  answer 
of  Pierre,  the  second,  dwelling  upon  the  de- 
light he  felt  at  his  choice,  and  begging  them 
to  advise  him  what  house  of  prince  or  noble 
to  send  the  boy  to.  Each  gave  his  word  of 
advice.  One  said,  make  him  page  to  the 
king;  another,  in  the  house  of  Bourbon ;  but 
the  good  bishop  said,  "  You  know  well  how 
friendly  the  Duke  of  Savoy  is  to  our  house; 
he  is  now  at  Chambe>y ;  to-morrow  we  will 
set  out,  and  I  will  present  my  nephew  to 
him  for  a  page;  be  at  no  expense,  for  I 
myself  will  equip  and  mount  him." 

All  applauded ;  and  the  father,  leading  the 
young  Bayard  to  the  bishop,  with  tears  in 
his  eyes,  said,  "  I  give  him  to  you,  and  pray 


God  that  wherever  you  place  him  he  may  do 
you  honour." 

Then  the  bishop  sent  to  Grenoble  for 
dresses  for  the  child,  and  all  was  ready  by 
the  next  day,  so  that  Bayard,  well  equipped 
and  mounted,  presented  himself  before  the 
company  with  as  good  a  grace  as  if  he  had 
been  in  the  presence  of  the  Duke  of  Savoy. 
The  horse,  accustomed  to  a  heavy  weight 
and  feeling  the  spurs,  gave  two  or  three 
alarming  bounds,  but  the  young  chevalier 
kept  a  firm  seat  and  managed  his  horse  with 
the  skill  of  a  man  of  thirty.  All  were  aston- 
ished at  the  courage  of  a  boy  just  free  from 
the  school-room,  and  mounted  for  the  first 
time.  His  father  asked  him  if  he  felt  no 
fear.  Bayard,  with  perfect  ctfolness,  an- 
swered, that  he  hoped  by  God's  help  to 
manage  his  horse  among  the  enemies  of  the 
prince  he  was  going  to  serve. 

His  father  took  an  affectionate  leave  of 
him,  and  his  mother,  a  pious,  good  woman, 
mixed  her  tears  and  her  kisses  with  whole- 
some advice,  which  sunk  deeply  into  the 
heart  of  the  boy,  and  had  who  can  tell  what 
effect  upon  the  future  life  of  her  darling. 
She  begged  him,  above  all,  to  serve  God 
first,  to  pray  to  Him  night  and  morning,  to 
be  kind  and  charitable  to  all,  to  beware  of 


Hife  of  Uaparfc 


flatterers  and  never  become  one  himself,  to 
avoid  envy,  hatred,  and  lying,  as  vices  un- 
worthy of  a  Christian,  and  to  comfort  widows 
and  orphans.  Bayard  replied  lovingly  and 
modestly;  and,  provided  with  a  purse  and 
a  little  trunk  containing  his  linen,  he  and 
his  uncle  took  their  way  to  Chambery,  where 
they  arrived  the  same  day,  Bayard  happier 
than  he  had  ever  been  in  his  life  before. 

The  next  day  the  prelate  waited  upon  the 
duke,1  who  was  rejoiced  at  his  visit,  esteem- 
ing him  one  of  the  most  virtuous  and  pious 
prelates  of  his  time.  The  duke  kept  a  bril- 
liant court,  and  had  always  been  a  faithful 
ally  of  France.  He  received  the  uncle  and 
nephew  with  all  signs  of  friendship,  and 
pressed  them  to  remain  and  dine  with  him. 
They  did  so,  and  Bayard  waited  upon  his 
uncle  at  table  with  so  much  grace  that  the 
duke  was  impressed  with  his  manners,  and 
asked  the  bishop  who  the  child  was. 

"  Sir,"  said  the  old  man,  "he  is  my 
nephew,  whom  I  have  brought  to  present 
to  you,  if  his  services  will  be  of  use  to 
you." 

"  I  accept  him  at  once,"  replied  the  duke; 

»  This  was  Charles  I.  son  of  Amedee  IX.  and  Yolande  of 
France,  daughter  of  Charles  VII.  He  had  succeeded  his  brother, 
Philibert  I. 


antr  jfearless 


"  I  should  indeed  be  difficult  to  please,  if  I 
refused  such  a  present." 

The  young  knight,  delighted  at  this,  and 
having  been  previously  instructed  by  his 
uncle  what  to  do,  did  not  wait  for  dinner, 
but  immediately  went  out  and  dressed  him- 
self to  appear  advantageously  before  the 
duke.  His  horse  was  beautifully  capari- 
soned, and  as  he  approached  the  palace, 
where  the  duke  was  seated  at  a  window,  he 
managed  the  mettlesome  steed  as  well  as  if 
he  had  passed  all  his  life  on  horseback. 

"  My  lord  bishop,"  said  the  duke,  "  is 
that  your  nephew  yonder,  who  rides  so 
charmingly  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord,"  replied  the  bishop,  "  it 
is  my  nephew;  he  comes  of  a  good  family, 
and  one  which  has  produced  brave  gentle- 
men and  valiant  knights.  His  father,  over- 
come with  old  age  and  covered  with  wounds, 
has  not  been  able  to  bring  his  son  himself, 
so  he  has  commissioned  me  to  do  it  for 
him." 

"  I  am  only  too  happy  to  receive  such  a 
present,"  said  the  duke,  "  and  if  he  walk  in 
the  steps  of  his  ancestors  I  shall  have  abun- 
dant reason  to  thank  you  for  your  gift." 

So  Bayard  was  installed  a  member  of  the 
duke's  household,  where  he  applied  himself 


Htfe  of  13agattr 


so  heartily  to  all  knightly  exercises  that  he 
carried  away  the  palm  from  all  his  comrades; 
he  surpassed  them  in  the  dance,  on  the  lute, 
in  passages  of  arms,  and,  more  especially,  in 
horse  exercise.  He  was  so  graceful,  and 
manly,  and  obliging  to  all,  that  the  duke  and 
duchess  looked  upon  him  as  their  own  son. 

Six  months  after,  the  Duke  of  Savoy  set 
out  for  Lyons,  where  Charles  VIII.  had 
been  for  a  year  with  his  court,  and  amused 
himself  among  other  things  with  tourneys, 
feasts,  and  balls  given  to  the  ladies  of  the 
town,  and  even  did  them  the  honour  to  admit 
them  to  his  table.  The  king,  hearing  of  the 
duke's  arrival,  sent  the  Count  de  Ligny1 
with  a  number  of  gentlemen  and  a  detach- 
ment of  archers  to  meet  him.  They  met 
them  at  about  two  leagues  from  Lyons. 
The  prince  welcomed  heartily  the  Count  de 
Ligny  and  the  Lord  d'Avesnes,2  and  all  the 
other  lords  and  gentlemen,  whence  they  re- 
turned together,  talking  merrily  on  the  way. 
The  count  perceived  the  young  Bayard  in 

1  Louis  of  Luxembourg,  son  of  Louis,  Count  of  Saint-Pol, 
Constable  of  France,  who  was  beheaded  at  Paris,  the  iQth  of 
December,  1475,  for  the  crime  of  felony. 

*  Gabriel  d'Albret,  Lord  of  Avesnes,  brother  of  John  d' Albret, 
King  of  Navarre.  John  was  the  father  of  Jane  d'Albret,  mar- 
ried to  Antoine  de  Bourbon  Vendome,  by  whom  she  became  the 
mother  of  Henry  IV.  in  1553. 


antr 


the  procession,  and  was  so  charmed  with  his 
horsemanship  that  he  could  not  help  com- 
plimenting the  duke  upon  it.  The  duke  told 
him  that  he  was  a  nephew  of  the  Bishop  of 
Grenoble,  and  still  very  young.  He  called 
to  the  boy  and  ordered  him  to  gallop,,  cry- 
ing out,  "Spur,  Bayard,  spur!"  Asking 
no  questions,  young  Bayard  did  as  he  was 
ordered,  and  at  the  end  of  the  run  he  brought 
the  horse  back  curvetting  and  bounding,  but 
perfectly  manageable.  The  count  again 
praised  the  youth,  and  said  how  glad  the 
king  would  be  to  have  him  in  his  service. 
The  next  day,  at  the  table  the  conversation 
turned  upon  the  chase  and  horses;  from 
those  the  transition  was  easy  to  tourna- 
ments, war,  and  gallantry.  The  Count  de 
Ligny  told  the  king  of  the  page  of  fourteen 
who  was  so  brave  a  horseman,  and  said  if 
his  Majesty  wished  to  see  him  he  could  do 
so  as  he  went  to  vespers  at  the  Abbey  of 
Ainay.  Bayard  was  soon  informed  of  this, 
when  he  hastened  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy's 
groom  and  begged  him  to  make  his  horse 
look  better  than  ever  before.  The  groom, 
who  loved  the  boy,  promised.  Bayard  went 
immediately,  to  dress  himself,  so  that  he 
might  appear  at  his  best,  and  was  ready 
when  his  friend  the  groom  brought  his 


?iilr  of 


horse.  This  faithful  servitor,  who  foresaw 
that  Bayard  was  about  to  change  masters, 
said  to  him,  "  My  dear  Bayard,  whatever 
satisfaction  I  may  feel  at  your  advancement, 
I  can  but  be  grieved  to  lose  you ;  I  under- 
stand that  you  are  going  to  pass  into  the 
service  of  the  King  of  France;  you  cannot 
wish  for  anything  more  advantageous,  nor 
for  a  better  occasion  to  make  a  name  and  a 
fortune." 

The  hour  for  parting  having  arrived,  they 
mounted  on  horseback,  Bayard's  horse  being 
groomed  fit  for  the  king  himself.  They 
reached  the  meadows  of  Ainay,  where  the 
king  and  his  suite  arrived  by  water,  a  short 
time  after,  and  the  king  had  scarcely  landed 
when  he  perceived  the  groom  and  the  knight 
on  horseback.  "  Page,  my  friend,"  cried 
he,  "  give  the  spur!  "  The  other  pages  re- 
peated, "  Spur,  spur!  "  Which  he  did  with 
as  much  skill  and  grace  as  if  he  had  had 
thirty  years'  experience.  And  from  the 
word  piquez,  spur,  Bayard  got  his  surname 
Piquet,  by  which  he  was  known  for  a  long 
time  after.  The  king  was  charmed  with  the 
young  page,  as  the  duke  had  been  before 
him,  and  committed  him  to  the  care  of  the 
Count  de  Ligny,  who  was  delighted  with 
the  acquisition.  He  placed  him  among  his 


10 


pages,  and  at  the  end  of  three  years,  when 
Bayard  was  seventeen,  the  count  made  him 
a  man-at-arms  in  his  company,  and  gentle- 
man of  his  house,  with  three  hundred  livres 
a  year. 

The  Duke  of  Savoy  remained  at  Lyons 
several  days;  and  during  his  stay  a  noble- 
man named  Claude  de  Vaudray,  of  the 
province  of  Burgundy,  asked  the  king's  per- 
mission to  give  a  tournament  for  the  young 
nobility.  This  tourney  was  to  consist  of 
horse-racing,  and  of  combats  on  foot  and 
on  horseback,  with  lances  and  battle-axes. 
The  king,  who  loved  all  these  symbols  of 
war,  easily  granted  permission,  and  the  Lord 
of  Vaudray  l  attached  his  coat-of-arms  to  a 
post,  so  that  any  gentleman  who  wished  to 
enter  into  the  lists  could  touch  it  and  after- 
ward give  his  name  to  the  king-at-arms  of 
the  tourney.  Bayard,  who  had  been  a  man- 
at-arms  for  some  days,  passed  with  one  of 
his  comrades  before  the  post,  and  remained 
silent  before  it,  tempted  to  add  his  name  to 
the  list.  "  Alas  !  "  said  he,  "  if  I  only  knew 
how  to  obtain  what  is  necessary  to  fit  me 

»  Marechal  de  Gie.  His  arms  were  per  pale,  gules,  and  ar- 
gent. This  house,  a  very  illustrious  one  in  the  county  of  Bur- 
gundy, had  for  its  device,  "  J'ai  valu,  vaux,  et  vaudrai,"  —  I  have 
been  worth,  I  am  worth,  I  shall  be  worth  ;  in  allusion  to  three 
territories  belonging  to  it,  Vaux,  Valu,  and  Vaudray. 


Htfe  of  ISagarlr 


for  the  combat,  I  would  willingly  touch 
these  escutcheons." 

His  comrade,  named  Bellabre,1  a  gentle- 
man like  himself  belonging  to  the  house- 
hold of  the  Count  de  Ligny,  surprised  at  his 
sudden  fit  of  musing,  asked  him  the  cause. 

"Ah,  my  friend,"  replied  Bayard,  "my 
hand  is  longing  to  touch  that  shield,  but 
when  I  have  done  so,  who  is  to  provide  me 
with  horses  and  necessary  accoutrements  ?  " 

Bellabre,  a  little  older  and  more  worldly- 
wise  than  he,  said  to  him,  "  Why  trouble 
yourself  about  that,  my  friend  ;  haven't  you 
an  uncle  in  the  neighbourhood,  the  Abbot  of 
Ainay?"  If  you  like,  we  will  go  together 
and  pay  him  a  visit,  and  if  he  refuse  to  give 
you  money,  why,  I'll  seize  crosier  and  mitre, 
and  anything  else  I  can  lay  my  hands  upon." 

"  No,  no,  my  friend,"  said  Bayard,  "  let 
us  respect  the  Church  and  her  ministers." 

"  I  hope,"  replied  Bellabre,  "  that  we 
shall  not  have  to  resort  to  violence;  when 
your  uncle  knows  what  you  require,  and  that 

1  Pierre  de  Pocquieres,  Lord  of  Bellabre,  of  Limousin.  He 
was  all  his  life  Bayard's  friend,  and  followed  him  in  most  of 
his  campaigns. 

8  The  Abbot  of  Ainay  was  not  Bayard's  uncle  ;  he  was  three 
or  four  degrees  removed.  His  name  was  Theodore  Terrail.  He 
held  his  abbey  forty-eight  years,  and  died  there  in  1505.  His 
tomb  may  still  be  seen  in  the  centre  of  the  nave. 


12     Spotless  anfc 


the  king  is  your  friend,  he  will  be  generous 
enough,  depend  upon  it." 

Bayard,  encouraged  by  his  friend,  hesi- 
tated no  longer,  but  immediately  advanced 
and  touched  the  escutcheons. 

The  king-at-arms,  Mountjoy,  who  was 
placed  there  to  receive  the  names  of  the 
combatants,  was  astonished  at  the  boldness 
of  the  young  man,  and  said  to  him,  "  Why, 
Piquet,  you  are  only  a  child  yet,  and  do  you 
mean  to  put  yourself  against  the  Lord  of 
Vaudray,  who  is  one  of  the  boldest  knights 
in  Christendom  ?  " 

"  Mountjoy,"  replied  Bayard,  "  if  I  have 
touched  that  shield,  believe  me  it  is  neither 
pride  nor  vainglory  that  has  prompted  me. 
I  wish  to  learn  the  glorious  profession  of 
arms  from  those  who  are  capable  of  giving 
me  lessons,  and,  God  helping  me,  I  hope  to 
acquit  myself  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
ladies." 

The  king-at-arms  smiled;  he  could  not 
help  admiring  the  resolution  and  wisdom  of 
the  youngster  of  seventeen.  Soon  all  the 
town  knew  that  Bayard  was  to  take  part 
in  the  approaching  tourney.  The  report 
reached  the  ears  of  the  Count  de  Ligny, 
who  was  overjoyed,  and  went  to  tell  the 
good  news  to  the  king.  The  king  was 


Hife  of 


equally  charmed,  and  said  to  the  count, 
"  My  cousin,  I  have  presented  you  with  a 
pupil  who  will  gain  you  honour." 

"  I  hope,  sire,"  replied  the  count,  "  that 
he  will  come  well  out  of  this  affair;  but  he 
is  very  young  to  measure  himself  against 
this  Lord  of  Vaudray." 

But  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  prepara- 
tions was  still  to  be  gone  through  ;  money 
was  necessary  to  a  splendid  appearance. 
"  I  don't  know,"  said  Bayard  to  Bellabre, 
"  how  to  approach  the  Abbot  of  Ainay  if 
you  do  not  introduce  the  subject.  I  am 
sure  that  if  my  uncle  the  Bishop  of  Grenoble 
were  at  home  he  would  give  me  anything  I 
wanted,  but  unfortunately  he  is  at  the  Ab- 
bey of  Saint  Saturnin,  at  Toulouse  ;  even  if 
I  wrote  to  him  there  is  no  time  to  wait  for 
an  answer." 

"Be  easy,"  replied  Bellabre;  "we  will 
visit  the  abbot  to-morrow,  and  I  promise 
you  to  get  the  money  from  him." 

The  next  day  the  two  friends  crossed  the 
Sadne  to  Ainay.  They  had  hardly  disem- 
barked when  the  first  man  they  saw  was  the 
abbot  himself,  reading,  in  a  meadow.  They 
approached  him  respectfully  ;  but  the  abbot, 
who  had  already  heard  what  had  passed,  and 
who  guessed  what  this  visit  meant,  did  not 


'4     Spotless  antr 


receive  them  very  cordially,  and  asked  Bay- 
ard how  he  came  to  be  so  absurd  as  to  touch 
the  shield  of  M.  Claude  of  Vaudray. 

"  Three  days  ago,"  said  the  old  man, 
"  you  were  a  page,  you  are  hardly  eighteen 
years  old  ;  you  deserve  a  good  whipping  for 
showing  so  much  vanity." 

"  My  dear  uncle,"  modestly  replied  the 
knight,  "  I  protest  that  vanity  has  nothing 
whatever  to  do  with  this.  I  have  no  other 
design  than  to  show  myself  worthy  of  the 
honour  of  belonging  to  you  and  a  house  in 
which  valour  has  always  been  hereditary  ;  so 
I  beg  you,  sir,  to  help  me  with  money.  You 
know  that  I  have  neither  relation  nor  friend 
near  but  yourself  to  whom  I  can  apply." 

"  My  faith,"  replied  the  abbot,  severely 
enough,  "you  must  beg  elsewhere;  the 
wealth  of  the  Church  has  been  given  for 
prayers  to  God,  and  not  to  supply  money 
for  tourneys." 

Then  Bellabre  spoke.  "  Sir,  without  the 
merit  and  valour  of  your  ancestors  you  would 
not  be  Abbot  of  Ainay.  You  are  under  an 
obligation  to  them  for  the  glory  they  have 
acquired,  and  to  their  name  which  you  bear. 
You  owe  them  gratitude,  and  how  can  you 
pay  the  debt  better  than  by  doing  good  to 
your  nephew  ?  Up  to  this  time  he  has  done 


Hife  of  Uaattr  '5 


you  credit  ;  he  is  a  favourite  of  the  king  and 
of  the  count  our  master,  who  has  already 
made  him  a  man-at-arms  in  his  company. 
The  king,  even,  knows  he  is  to  fight;  and 
you  ought  to  be  charmed  with  his  spirit  of 
emulation,  and  do  all  in  your  power  to  con- 
tribute to  his  advancement.  Perhaps  it  will 
cost  you  two  hundred  crowns  to  equip  him, 
and  in  return  he  will  gain  you  honour  to  the 
amount  of  ten  thousand." 

The  abbot  replied,  and  Bellabre  once  more 
answered  him  so  well  that  the  uncle  finally 
consented  to  assist  his  nephew.  He  accom- 
panied the  young  men  to  his  house,  and, 
taking  a  purse  from  a  cabinet,  he  took  a 
hundred  crowns,  and  gave  them  to  Bellabre, 
saying,  "  Young  gentleman,  take  care  of  this 
money,  and  buy  two  horses  for  this  brave 
soldier;  his  beard  is  still  too  young  for  me  to 
trust  him  with  it.  I  will  send  word  to  Lau- 
rencin  to  furnish  him  with  all  necessary  gar- 
ments. " 

"  I  thank  you  for  him,"  said  Bellabre, 
"  and  for  my  own  part,  reckon  on  my  grati- 
tude ;  we  will  not  forget  to  talk  about  your 
kindness." 

The  abbot  then  wrote  to  the  merchant  to 
furnish  the  young  man  with  the  stuffs  nec- 
essary for  him  to  appear  honorably  at  the 


16     Spotiegg  anfc  jf  earless 


tourney.  The  two  friends,  armed  with  the 
letter,  immediately  went  to  the  merchant  to 
whom  it  was  addressed,  and  each  one  bought 
three  similar  suits,  for  Bayard  wished  his 
friend  to  appear  there  with  his  money,  for 
they  were  such  good  friends  that  one  had 
nothing  that  he  did  not  share  with  the  other. 
Only  horses  were  wanting  now.  An  occa- 
sion soon  presented  itself.  A  Piedmontese 
gentleman,  who  had  only  been  at  Lyons  a 
few  days,  had  fallen  and  broken  his  leg. 
He  had  two  horses,  which  he  determined  to 
sell  instead  of  feeding  them  and  getting  no 
work  in  return.  Bellabre,  who  heard  of  this 
circumstance,  spoke  of  it  to  his  friend  and 
took  him  to  the  sick  gentleman's  apart- 
ments, with  whom  the  bargain  was  easily 
concluded.  They  tried  the  horses  first, 
after  which  the  price  was  fixed  at  a  hundred 
and  ten  crowns  for  the  two.  The  money 
was  paid,  and  two  crowns  given  to  the 
grooms  who  led  the  animals  to  the  stables 
of  their  new  masters. 

There  were  now  only  three  days  before 
the  tournament,  which  Bayard  and  his  friend 
employed  in  becoming  acquainted  with  the 
tempers  of  their  new  steeds. 

The  tournament  commenced  on  Monday, 
the  2Oth  July,  1494.  The  Lord  of  Vaudray 


HCCe  of  ISasarir  '7 

distinguished  himself  and  did  marvels;  also 
Jacques  Galyot  de  Genouillac,  Lord  of  Aster, 
Seneschal  of  Armagnac,  who  was  afterward 
Grand  Equerry  of  France,  and  Grand  Mas- 
ter of  the  Artillery;  Germain  de  Bonneval, 
Louis  de  Hedouville,  Lord  of  Sandricourt; 
the  Lord  of  Chatillon,  of  the  house  of  Co- 
ligny;  the  Lord  of  Bourdillon,  and  a  num- 
ber of  others;  most  of  them  honoured  with 
the  king's  friendship.  It  had  been  ordered 
that  each  one,  after  fighting,  should  go  round 
the  lists  with  his  face  uncovered,  that  the 
spectators  might  judge  whether  he  had 
fought  well  or  ill. 

The  knight  Bayard,  then  in  his  eighteenth 
year,  still  weak  and  delicate  in  appearance, 
took  his  place  in  the  lists  and  struck  his  first 
blow,  which  was  considered  too  bold  for  one 
so  young.  Whether  for  this  reason  the 
Lord  of  Vaudray  favoured  him,  or  whether 
his  skill  and  strength  conquered,  certain  it 
is  that  the  majority  of  votes  were  for  him, 
and  the  ladies  especially,  in  their  patois, 
praised  him  loudly,  and  said  that  he  had 
done  better  than  all  the  others. 

The  king  was  charmed  as  well  as  his  peo- 
ple, and  said  to  the  count  at  supper,  "  By 
the  faith  of  my  body,  Cousin  de  Ligny, 
Piquet  has  given  us  to-day  a  foretaste  of 


18     Spotless  antr 


what  he  will  be  as  a  man.  He  is  the  best 
present  I  ever  made  you  in  my  life.  '  ' 

"  Sire,"  replied  the  count,  "  the  honour 
will  redound  to  your  Majesty,  and  to  that 
thought  he  owes  the  glory  that  his  achieve- 
ments have  thrown  over  him." 

About  a  year  after  the  tournament  the 
Count  de  Ligny  took  Bayard  aside,  told  him 
that,  in  addition  to  his  place  of  page-in-wait- 
ing, he  had  put  him  in  his  company  of  artil- 
lery. He  then  sent  the  overjoyed  young 
man  away  to  join  his  comrades,  saying, 
'  You  will  find  among  them  some  of  the 
most  valiant  men  in  France,  daily  practising 
warlike  exercises,  and  you  cannot  do  better 
than  remain  with  them  till  war  demands 
your  services." 

Bayard  was  overjoyed;  he  thanked  the 
count  with  his  whole  heart,  for,  as  he  said, 
"  the  greatest  favour  he  had  ever  received." 
He  begged  permission  to  start  the  next  day, 
and,  having  obtained  it,  went  with  his  mas- 
ter to  take  leave  of  the  king.  The  king  was 
just  leaving  table. 

"  Sire,"  said  the  count,  "  your  Piquet  has 
come  to  bid  your  Majesty  farewell  before 
joining  his  companions  in  Picardy." 

Bayard  fell  on  one  knee  before  the  king 
with  a  modest  yet  self-possessed  air.  The 


Hife  of  iSagartr  19 

prince  looked  at  him  graciously  and  said, 
"  Piquet,  my  friend,  may  God  continue  in 
you  what  I  have  seen  begun ;  may  you  grow 
up  a  brave  man.  You  are  going  into  a  coun- 
try where  beautiful  ladies  abound,  do  all  you 
can  to  gain  their  good  graces;  and  now,  my 
friend,  good-by ! ' ' 

Bayard  thanked  the  king  with  respect,  and 
then  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  the  princes 
and  of  his  comrades.  The  king,  calling  one 
of  the  valets-de-chambre,  ordered  him  to 
give  the  knight  three  hundred  crowns,  and 
added  to  the  present  one  of  his  finest  horses. 
Bayard,  out  of  gratitude,  gave  thirty  crowns 
to  the  valet-de-chambre,  and  ten  to  the 
groom  who  brought  the  horse.  This  first 
act  of  generosity  increased  the  esteem  of 
those  who  heard  of  it.  As  Bayard  was  to 
set  off  early  the  next  morning  the  count 
bade  him  adieu  overnight  and  counselled 
him  with  the  affection  of  a  father,-  recom- 
mending him  to  keep  in  the  paths  of  reli- 
gion, honour,  and  virtue.  Bayard  kissed  his 
hand,  and  moistened  it  with  his  tears,  and 
then  took  his  final  leave,  followed  by  the 
gentlemen  and  officers  of  the  household, 
who  embraced  him  tenderly  and  assured  him 
of  their  sorrow  at  his  departure.  At  the 
same  moment  the.  count's  tailor  brought  him 


20     Spotless  anfc  ^Fearless 

two  rich  suits  of  clothes,  by  his  master's  or- 
ders, and  a  groom  arrived  with  the  finest 
horse  from  the  count's  stables  completely 
harnessed.  The  knight,  surprised  at  so  many 
presents  added  to  those  he  had  already  re- 
ceived, gave  the  tailor  twenty  crowns,  and  the 
groom  ten,  begging  them  to  thank  their  master 
for  him,  as  he  did  not  feel  equal  to  the  task. 

At  daybreak  he  sent  off  his  six  best  horses, 
after  them  his  carriages,  and  he  himself  fol- 
lowed with  his  remaining  horses.  Bellabre, 
his  friend  and  companion,  could  not  accom- 
pany him  to  his  destination  as  he  was  await- 
ing the  arrival  of  two  horses  from  Spain  ;  but 
he  went  several  miles  with  him,  and  prom- 
ised to  rejoin  him  soon. 

Bayard  journeyed  by  easy  stages  to  keep 
his  horses  fresh ;  and  when  he  was  about  six 
miles  from  Aire  in  Picardy,  he  sent  an  at- 
tendant forward  to  prepare  his  lodging.  As 
soon  as  his  comrades  heard  of  his  approach, 
they  came  out  to  meet  him  on  horseback  to 
the  number  of  a  hundred  and  twenty,  think- 
ing they  could  not  show  too  much  honour  to 
a  man  so  well  thought  of  by  their  king  and 
their  captain.  They  met  at  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  town,  and  having  greeted 
each  other  with  expressions  of  esteem,  they 
conducted  him  in  triumph  to  their  quarters. 


Htfe  of  HJagarti  2i 

Many  ladies  were  at  their  windows,  for  they 
had  heard  so  much  of  the  virtues,  the  wis- 
dom, and  the  high-mindedness  of  Bayard, 
that  they  were  impatient  to  see  him. 

Part  of  the  company  remained  and  took 
supper  with  the  newcomer,  and  his  success 
at  the  tournament  was  the  principal  subject 
of  conversation  at  the  meal. 

"  Friends  and  companions,"  said  Bayard, 
with  his  usual  modesty,  "  I  have  not  had 
time  to  deserve  the  praises  that  you  are  lav- 
ishing upon  me;  but,  by  God's  help,  and 
following  in  your  steps,  I  hope  one  day  to 
be  worthy  the  name  of  soldier." 

One  of  the  company  named  Tardieu,  a 
merry  good-humoured  fellow,  and  a  thorough 
lover  of  pleasure,  addressed  himself  in  his 
jovial  manner  to  Bayard.  "  Comrade,"  said 
he,  "  I  hope  you  haven't  come  to  the  garri- 
son without  a  well-filled  purse,  because  the 
ladies  in  these  parts  are  very  fond  of  tourna- 
ments, and  they  have  not  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  one  for  a  long  time.  Give  them 
one  eight  or  ten  days  hence." 

"  If  you  will  undertake  to  obtain  the  com- 
mander's permission,  and  send  me  the  her- 
ald," said  Bayard,  "  it  shall  be  as  you  wish, 
my  friend ;  it  will  give  me  even  more  plea- 
sure than  you." 


Tardieu  felt  certain  that  the  captain,  Louis 
d'Ars,1  would  not  withhold  his  consent. 
However,  it  was  time  for  the  party  to  sepa- 
rate, and  they  did  so,  promising  to  meet 
again  early  the  next  day. 

Tardieu  was  the  first  to  arrive ;  he  entered 
saying,  "  Comrade,  here  is  your  herald,  now 
you  can  settle  everything. 

Although  the  knight,  fatigued  with  a  long 
march,  had  required  rest,  he  sat  up  the 
greater  part  of  the  night  writing  the  procla- 
mation, which  was  ready  when  Tardieu  en- 
tered. It  was  to  this  import,  that — "  Pierre 
Bayard,  a  gentleman  of  Dauphiny,  in  the 
service  of  the  high  and  mighty  lord,  ^ount 
de  Ligny,  lately  initiated  into  the  mysteries 
of  war,  publishes  a  tournament  for  the  2Oth 
of  July,  outside  and  close  to  the  walls  of  the 
town  of  Aire,  to  all  comers,  to  fight  with 
lances  without  lists,  and  on  horseback;  the 
prize  for  the  conqueror  to  be  a  gold  bracelet 
enamelled  with  his  arms,  of  the  weight  of 
thirty  crowns — that  the  next  day  will  be 
fought  a  combat  with  lances  on  foot,  and 
after  the  lances  are  broken  an  assault  with 
battle-axes,  the  prize  for  which  will  be  a 
diamond  of  the  value  of  forty  crowns." 

1  One  of  the  most  illustrious  captains  of  his  time.     He  was  a 
native  of  Dauphiny,  a  relation  and  neighbour  of  Bayard. 


Htfe  of 


Tardieu  highly  approved  of  the  proclama- 
tion, and  vowed  that  Launcelot,  Tristram, 
and  Gawain  were  not  to  be  compared  to 
Bayard.  They  gave  it  to  the  herald,  and 
bade  him  proclaim  it  in  that  town,  and  in  all 
the  garrisons  in  the  province.  For  in  those 
days  there  were  a  great  many  companies  of 
brave  knights,  who  all  heard  of  the  approach- 
ing tournament.  All  those  who  wished  to 
take  part  in  it  hastened  to  Aire  ;  and,  not- 
withstanding the  shortness  of  the  notice, 
they  arrived  to  the  number  of  forty  or  fifty. 

In  the  interval  the  valiant  Captain  Louis 
d'Ars  arrived,  glad  to  be  there  in  time  for 
the  tournament.  As  soon  as  Bayard  knew 
he  had  come,  he  went  to  pay  his  respects  to 
him,  and  was  received  in  the  most  flatter- 
ing manner.  To  heighten  his  joy  his  good 
friend  Bellabre  arrived  the  day  after  his  com- 
mander, and  had  a  flattering  reception  from 
every  one.  Then  there  were  nothing  but 
fdtes  and  balls,  where  Bayard  showed  so 
much  grace,  and  prudence,  and  generosity, 
that  the  ladies  of  the  town,  and  those  of  the 
province,  could  do  nothing  but  praise  him  ; 
they  unanimously  gave  him  the  preference, 
curiously  enough,  without  making  him  vain, 
or  his  companions  jealous. 

At  last  the  day  arrived.     Louis  d'Ars,  and 


Spotless  antr 


the  Lord  of  St.  Quentin,  captain  of  the 
Scotch  Guards,  were  appointed  umpires. 
The  number  of  combatants  was  forty-six, 
whom  the  judges  divided  into  two  parties 
of  twenty-three  against  twenty-three.  This 
done,  and  the  combatants  being  ready  to 
enter  the  lists,  the  herald  sounded  his  trum- 
pet and  published  distinctly  the  order  of  the 
tournament.  Then  the  knight  appeared  first 
on  the  scene,  and  Aymond  de  Salvaing,  Lord 
of  Boisseau,1  his  cousin,  was  the  first  oppo- 
nent who  presented  himself;  this  man  was 
surnamed  "  the  Tartar,"  as  Bayard  was 
called  "  Piquet,"  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  times.  They  ran  one  against  another 
so  furiously  that  Boisseau  broke  his  lance 
short  in  two,  and  Bayard  awaited  him  on 
guard  and  shivered  his  lance  in  pieces.  Im- 
mediately two  trumpets  sounded  to  an- 
nounce this  brave  assault.  Bayard  finally 
conquered.  After  them  came  Bellabre  and 
a  Scotch  captain  named  David  of  Fougas. 
The  Tartar,  the  Captain  David,  the  Bastard 
of  Chimay,  Tardieu,8  Bayard,  and  his  friend 

1  Aymond  de  Salvaing  was  the  grandson  of  Catherine  Terrail, 
the  aunt  of  Bayard. 

9  John  of  Tardieu,  a  gentleman  of  Rouergue.  He  was  a  man- 
at-arms  in  the  company  of  the  Count  of  Ligny  before  Bayard, 
in  connection  with  whom  he  will  be  met  with  several  times  in 
this  history. 


Htfe  of  ISagarlr 


Bellabre  were  among  the  most  successful 
combatants. 

At  the  end  of  the  day  Bayard,  who  had 
prepared  a  magnificent  supper,  invited  those 
who  had  taken  part  in  the  tournament,  and 
a  number  of  ladies.  The  repast  was  fol- 
lowed by  dances  and  other  amusements  un- 
til one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  every 
one  retired.  The  next  day,  according  to 
the  order  of  the  tournament,  they  began 
again;  and  after  attending  mass,  as  it  was 
Sunday,  they  dined  with  the  Lord  of  St. 
Quentin.  The  meal  was  not  of  long  dura- 
tion, for  as  the  clocks  struck  two  the  trum- 
pet called  the  combatants  to  the  barrier. 
The  umpires,  the  lords,  and  ladies  being 
placed,  Bayard  entered  first  as  on  the  pre- 
vious day;  his  adversary  was  Harmotin  de 
Saker,  a  gentleman  of  Hainault;  Bayard 
soon  forced  him  on  his  knees,  and  then  the 
judges  called  out,  "  Enough,  enough!  " 

After  them  Bellabre  entered  the  lists 
against  Arnaulton  de  Pierreforade,  Tardieu 
fought  against  David  of  Fougas,  and  the 
whole  company  declared  that  they  had 
never  seen  so  many  skilful,  brave  men  assem- 
bled at  one  tournament.  After  the  supper, 
to  which  they  repaired  at  the  close  of  the 
tournament,  the  question  was  to  be  decided 


26     Spotless  antr 


as  to  who  should  receive  the  prizes.  The 
judges  took  the  opinions  of  the  company  — 
first  the  ladies  were  appealed  to,  and  begged 
to  say  frankly  and  without  partiality  who 
they  thought  had  distinguished  himself  the 
most.  All  voices,  gentlemen's  and  ladies', 
were  raised  in  favour  of  Bayard;  and  St. 
Quentin,  after  the  trumpet  had  sounded  for 
silence,  handed  the  jewels  to  the  young 
knight  to  give  them  to  whomsoever  he 
thought  most  deserving  after  himself.  Amid 
the  praises  of  the  company  he  awarded  one 
to  his  friend  Bellabre,  and  the  other  to  the 
Scotch  captain,  David  of  Fougas. 

During  the  two  years  that  elapsed  from 
Bayard's  arrival  in  Picardy  till  the  depar- 
'ture  of  the  king  for  the  kingdom  of  Naples 
he  frequently  gave  tournaments,  in  the 
greater  number  of  which  he  came  off  vic- 
torious. He  gained  universal  esteem  and 
friendship,  and  the  ladies  were  never  tired  of 
praising  his  prudence  and  numerous  virtues. 


CHAPTER   II 

IN  1494  Charles  VIII.  determined  to 
claim,  by  force  of  arms,  the  right  he  had 
upon  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  He  entered 
Italy  at  the  head  of  a  large  army,  traversed 
the  country  without  interruption,  and  on  the 
3 1st  of  December,  with  the  whole  of  his 
troops,  entered  Rome  by  torchlight,  and 
with  the  lance  in  rest.  He  there  did  sev- 
eral acts  of  sovereignty;  appointed  some 
criminals  to  be  executed  and  pardoned 
others,  while  Pope  Alexander  VI.,  famous 
for  his  crimes,  not  being  able  to  oppose  the 
king,  retired  to  the  Castle  of  Saint  Angelo. 
The  king  forced  him  from  his  retreat  and- 
compelled  him  to  crown  him  Emperor  of 
Constantinople  and  King  of  Naples;  after- 
ward he  set  out  to  make  the  kingdom 
submit,  leaving  for  viceroy  Gilbert,  Count 
of  Montpensier,  a  prince  of  the  blood 
royal. 

The  Count  of  Ligny,  who  followed  the 
king  in  this  expedition,  took  Bayard  with 
him,  not  only  because  he  liked  him,  but  be- 


28     Spotless  ant» 


cause  he  wished  to  give  him  an  opportunity 
to  distinguish  himself. 

The  king,  after  a  glorious  campaign,  left 
a  large  part  of  his  army  to  guard  his  newly 
acquired  kingdom,  and  went  back  to  France 
with  less  than  10,000  men.  On  his  road, 
near  Fornova,1  he  was  unexpectedly  attacked 
by  an  army  of  60,000  men,  composed  of  the 
pope's  troops,  of  Venetians,  and  of  the  sol- 
diers of  the  Duke  of  Milan  and  other  Italian 
princes.  Their  design  was  to  surprise,  de- 
feat, and  carry  the  king  away.  A  prize  of 
100,000  ducats  was  promised  to  the  man 
who  brought  him  to  the  camp,  dead  or  alive. 
Six  ducats  were,  moreover,  offered  for  every 
Frenchman's  head  ;  but  heaven  ordered  it 
otherwise. 

Charles,  although  compelled  to  fight  with 
such  a  handful  of  troops,  gained  a  complete 
victory;2  10,000  of  his  enemies  were  left 
upon  the  field,  and  he  only  lost  700  of  his 
men  ;  the  slaughter  would  doubtless  have 

1  A  town  in  the  duchy  of  Parma,  three  leagues  south  of  that 
city. 

a  Among  the  gentlemen  who  fought  at  Fornova  were  a 
number  of  lords  of  Dauphiny  with  their  companies,  all  composed 
of  the  nobility  of  the  province  ;  but  as  it  would  take  too  much 
space  to  enumerate  them  all,  we  will  only  mention  the  Terrails, 
Allemans,  Sassenages,  Clermonts,  and  others  who  acquitted 
themselves  with  much  valour. 


ILife  of  ISagarir  29 

been  greater,  but  the  sudden  rising  of  a 
small  river  hindered  the  king  from  profiting 
by  his  success.1  The  enemy  lost  almost  all 
their  generals,  especially  the  Venetians; 
many  nobles  of  the  house  of  Mantua  per- 
ished, and  the  marquis  himself  owed  his  life 
to  his  spurs  and  the  swiftness  of  his  horse. 
Bayard,  who  was  in  the  king's  army,  in  De 
Ligny's  company,  distinguished  himself  more 
than  any  one,  and  had  two  horses  killed  un- 
der him.  He  took  an  ensign  from  fifty  men- 
at-arms  and  presented  it  to  the  king,  who, 
already  informed  of  the  courageous  ardour 
that  he  had  shown  in  this  action,  granted 
him  500  crowns.  It  was  in  this  battle  that 
Jacques  de  Cize-de-Chambarau  fought,  a 
gentleman  of  Dauphiny,  whose  whole  fam- 
ily, both  male  and  female,  were  of  gigantic 
height.  He  was  then  one  of  the  king's 
guards,  and  his  family  became  extinct  in 
Henry  IV.'s  reign. 

Charles,  after  his  glorious  exploits  at  For- 
nova,  advanced  to  Verceil,  where  he  found 
a  considerable  body  of  Swiss  ready  to  help 
him ;  he  raised  the  siege  of  Novarra,  where 

1  The  approach  of  night  forced  the  combatants  to  separate, 
the  king  being  resolved  to  finish  on  the  morrow  what  he  had  so 
well  begun  ;  but,  in  the  interval,  a  stream  which  divided  the 
two  camps  rose  to  the  height  of  seven  feet  and  overflowed, 
saving,  no  doubt,  the  remains  of  the  combined  army. 


30          otless  anfc 


Ludovic  Sforza,  calling  himself  Duke  of 
Milan,  kept  besieged  Louis,  Duke  of  Or- 
leans, afterward  Louis  XII.  The  nobility 
of  Dauphiny,  who  had  done  such  wonders 
in  the  last  battle,  signalised  themselves  be- 
fore Novarra,  but  they  lost  three  of  their 
number,  Peter  of  Sassenage,  Charles  Alle- 
man  (Bayard's  uncle),  and  Barachim  Alle- 
man,  his  cousin-german,  Lord  of  Rochec- 
hinard,  Knight  of  Malta,  and  Grand  Prior 
of  Provence. 

The  king,  after  these  expeditions,  re- 
turned to  France  and  went  to  Lyons,  where 
his  queen,  Anne,  and  his  sister,  the  Duchess 
of  Bourbon,1  had  arrived  on  their  way  to 
meet  him.  Arrived,  with  all  his  court,  at 
Paris,  he  visited  the  tombs  of  his  ancestors 
at  St.  Denis,  as  if  he  had  foreseen  that, 
although  only  twenty-six,  it  would  not  be 
long  before  he  joined  them.  The  next  two 
years  he  passed  in  visiting  his  kingdom, 
showing  his  subjects  a  shining  example  both 
of  religion  and  morality.  Finally,  he  went 
to  Amboise,  where  he  heard  of  the  general 
revolt  of  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  the  tri- 
umphal entry  of  Frederic,  the  death  of  the 
Count  of  Montpensier,  and  the  forced  re- 
turn of  his  troops.  He  resolved  to  return 

1  Anne  of  France,  wife  of  Peter  of  Bourbon,  Lord  of  Beaujeu. 


Htfe  of  ISagarfc  31 

in  person  for  the  reduction  of  this  kingdom, 
and  set  out  in  September,  1497,  for  Lyons, 
but  he  only  got  as  far  as  Tours;  he  returned 
to  Amboise  to  pass  the  winter  there,  and 
died  suddenly  in  the  month  of  April  follow- 
ing, watching  a  game  of  tennis,  aged  only 
twenty-eight  years.  His  four  children,  by 
Anne  of  Brittany,  died  before  him. 


CHAPTER   III 
[1498] 

/CHARLES  VIII.  having  died  without 
\^j  children,  his  brother-in-law,  Louis, 
the  Duke  of  Orleans,1  succeeded  him.  He 
had  married  Charles's  sister  Jane,  but  was 
speedily  divorced  from  her.  The  pope  hav- 
ing proclaimed  the  marriage  null,  the  lady 
retired  to  the  duchy  of  Berry,  which  the 
king  gave  her,  and  died  seven  years  after  in 
the  odour  of  sanctity.  Louis,  having  settled 
the  divorce,  married  the  queen  dowager, 
Anne  of  Bretagne.* 

While  the  new  king  was  attending  to  the 
internal  affairs  of  the  country,  Bayard  was 

>  He  was  then  thirty-six  years  old,  and  was  the  son  of  Charles, 
Duke  of  Orleans,  whose  father,  Louis  I.,  brother  of  Charles  VI., 
had  married  Valentine  of  Milan,  from  whom  he  derived  his 
right  to  the  duchy.  The  mother  of  Louis  XII.  was  Maria  of 
Cleves. 

'"Whether  it  (the  divorce)  were  ill  or  well  done,  God 
knows,"  says  the  Loyal  Servant.  Anne's  marriage  contract 
with  Charles  VIII.  contained  this  singular  clause,  that  in  case 
she  became  a  widow  she  could  only  marry  the  king's  successor  ; 
this  was  done  to  render  more  sure  the  union  of  her  duchy  of 
Bretagne  with  the  crown  of  France. 


Hife  of  l&agarir  33 

visiting  his  friends  in  Savoy,  in  the  house  of 
the  duke  where  he  had  been  a  page.  Charles 
I.,  his  old  master,  whose  memory  was  still 
dear  to  him,  was  dead,  and  his  widow, 
Blanche  Pateologue,  the  heiress  of  Mont- 
Serrat  (daughter  of  William  VI.  and  Eliza- 
beth Sforza),  was  at  Carignan  in  Piedmont, 
which  had  been  given  to  her  as  dowry.  She 
was  a  virtuous  and  generous  princess,  and 
had  always  entertained  as  much  friendship 
for  Bayard  as  the  late  duke,  her  husband. 
Her  court  was  as  brilliant  as  any  in  Europe, 
and  strangers  were  received  there  with  royal 
magnificence.  The  wife  of  the  Lord  of 
Fluxas,  who  was  the  superintendent  of  the 
duchess's  house,  was  one  of  her  maids  when 
Bayard  first  entered  the  house  as  page  to 
the  duke.  She  was  beautiful,  witty,  virtu- 
ous, and  belonged  to  a  good  family.  Bay- 
ard was  endowed  with  the  same  advantages, 
and  a  friendship  commenced  between  the 
young  people,  which  soon  ripened  into  love. 
And,  if  fate  had  been  propitious,  they  would 
doubtless  have  been  united  in  marriage;  but 
the  duke's  journey  to  Lyons  and  the  en- 
trance of  Bayard  into  the  king's  service  sepa- 
rated them  so  entirely  that  from  that  time 
until  his  present  visit  they  had  only  com- 
municated by  letter.  He  found  her  advan- 

3 


34          otUas  antr 


tageously  married  to  the  rich  and  powerful 
Lord  of  Fluxas.  When  she  saw  the  knight, 
she  received  him  with  every  sign  of  friend- 
ship. She  had  heard  of  his  exploits  and 
congratulated  him  upon  them,  and  they 
talked  over  their  boy  and  girl  passion  for 
each  other.  She  finally  asked  Bayard  to 
give  a  tournament,  to  which  he  immediately 
consented,  and  said  it  should  be  in  a  few 
days.  Bayard  kissed  the  lady's  hand,  and 
asked  her  for  one  of  her  sleeves.  The  lady 
gave  it  him  and  he  put  it  into  the  sleeve  of 
his  doublet,  intending  it  for  the  victor's 
prize.  The  herald  proclaimed  the  tourna- 
ment, and  brought  the  names  of  fifteen  gen- 
tlemen who  promised  to  be  there.  The  day 
having  arrived,  Bayard  and  the  Lord  of 
Ronastre  first  entered  the  lists;  Bayard  was 
victorious.  The  tournament  lasted  all  day, 
and  at  the  close  of  it  the  Lord  of  Fluxas, 
by  the  duchess's  commands,  invited  all  the 
gentlemen  to  supper  with  her,  and  while  at 
table  the  judges  awarded  the  prize  to  Bay- 
ard. Bayard  blushed,  and  refused  it.  He 
said  that  the  lady  who  provided  the  sleeve  ' 

1  M.  de  Berville  has  "bracelet"  here,  while  the  "right  joy- 
ous history  "  reads  "  sleeve,"  which  is  more  in  keeping  with  the 
manners  of  the  time  ;  it  was  probably  the  heraldic  manche  worn 
still  as  a  charge  in  coats-of-arms. 


Hife  of  Bagattr  35 

should  give  the  prize.  She  said  she  would 
keep  the  sleeve  herself  for  the  sake  of  the 
victor,  and  as  he  refused  to  receive  the  prize 
she  gave  a  ruby  pendant  to  the  Lord  Mon- 
dragon,  who,  next  to  Bayard,  had  been  the 
most  successful  combatant.  The  prize  was 
then  delivered  and  the  customary  ball  be- 
gan ;  the  gayeties  were  continued  four  or 
five  days,  after  which  each  gentleman  re- 
turned to  his  garrison.  The  duchess  was 
overjoyed  to  see  her  quondam  page  so  gen- 
erally esteemed  and  respected,  and  so  be- 
loved that  no  one  was  jealous  of  him. 

A  short  time  after  Ludovic  Sforza,  who 
had  retired  to  Germany,  had  raised  a  con- 
siderable army  there  of  Swiss  and  Burgun- 
dians,  and  a  fine  body  of  German  cavalry. 
With  these  troops  he  entered  Lombardy, 
and  on  the  3d  of  January  he  surprised  the 
town  of  Milan,  and  drove  the  French  from 
it.  Following  the  example  of  the  capital, 
several  other  towns  submitted  to  Sforza,  and 
the  king,  hearing  of  the  fresh  revolt,  sent  a 
powerful  army  under  the  orders  of  the  Count 
of  Ligny  and  De  Trivulce,  to  reduce  the 
rebels  to  subjection. 

Bayard  had  remained  in  Italy  by  permis- 
sion of  the  Count  of  Ligny.  He  believed 
that  Ludovic  would  soon  return  and  cause 


36     Spotless  atUr 


more  trouble  than  on  his  first  campaign,  in 
which  Bayard  had  not  taken  part.  His 
ardent  wish  to  excel  in  his  profession  kept 
him  continually  on  the  watch  for  occasions 
to  distinguish  himself  and  serve  his  prince. 
He  was  in  garrison  then,  twenty  miles  from 
Milan,  where  he  passed  the  time  with  his 
comrades  in  military  exercises.  One  day  he 
was  informed  that  there  were  three  hundred 
horse  in  Binasco  that  might  be  easily  de- 
feated. He  spoke  of  it  to  his  companions, 
who  were  only  too  glad  to  join  him  in  un- 
dertaking it  ;  so  they  set  off  early  the  next 
morning  to  the  number,  of  about  fifty  offi- 
cers to  try  the  adventure.  Jean  Bernardin 
Cazache,  the  captain  on  the  other  side,  who 
commanded  in  Binasco,  was  brave  and  alert. 
He  learnt  from  his  spies  that  a  French  party 
was  coming  to  attack  them.  As  soon  as  the 
two  troops  perceived  each  other  they  com- 
menced the  fight,  the  war-cry  on  the  one 
side  being  "  France!  France!"  and  on  the 
other,  "Moor!  Moor!"  The  charge  was 
brisk,  and  a  great  many  were  thrown  from 
their  horses,  and  others  with  great  difficulty 
retained  their  seats.  But  Bayard  seemed 
like  a  furious  lion.  He  made  the  heads  and 
arms  fly  with  unparalleled  dexterity  and  ra- 
pidity. Seeing  that,  after  an  hour's  fight- 


of  iSagattr  37 


ing,  the  victory  was  not  yet  decided  in  his 
favour,  he  cried  out,  "  What,  my  compan- 
ions !  shall  we  let  this  handful  of  men  keep 
us  here  all  day  ?  Courage,  my  friends,  let 
us  redouble  our  blows,  and  overturn  them." 
These  words  reanimated  his  men  ;  each  one 
felt  a  new  ardour,  and  again  crying,  "  France  ! 
France!  "  they  fell  upon  their  enemies  with 
such  impetuosity  that  they  drove  them  from 
the  place.  The  French  followed  them  four 
or  five  miles  toward  Milan,  but  the  Lom- 
bardians,  finding  themselves  near  the  town, 
turned  their  horses  and  thus  saved  them- 
selves, the  French  still  chasing  them.  When 
the  French  were  near  the  walls,  one  of  the 
principal  and  the  most  experienced,  seeing 
the  danger,  cried,  '  Turn,  men-at-arms, 
turn!"  Everyone  obeyed  except  Bayard, 
who  was  too  excited  to  hear.  He  pursued  the 
fugitives  with  so  much  ardour  that  he  entered 
Milan  with  them  and  chased  them  as  far  as 
the  king's  palace.  The  white  crosses  that  he 
wore  soon  caused  him  to  be  recognised  as  a 
Frenchman,  and  the  people  cried  out,  "  Take 
him  !  Take  him  !  "  He  was  surrounded  in 
a  moment,  and  taken  prisoner  by  Cazache, 
who  took  him  and  disarmed  him.  He  was 
surprised  to  see  one  only  twenty-four  years 
old  giving  signs  of  such  extraordinary  valour. 


38     Spotless  anti 


Ludovic,  hearing  the  noise  and  the  uproar, 
asked  the  cause  :  they  told  him  of  the  defeat 
of  the  Captain  Cazache,  and  that  a  young 
Frenchman  had  pursued  the  fugitives  even 
to  the  palace.  He  was  curious  to  see  him, 
and  commanded  him  to  be  brought.  Ca- 
zache was  told  to  present  himself  with  his 
prisoner  before  Ludovic;  he  was  afraid  that 
Ludovic  would  be  in  a  fury,  and  cause  him 
to  be  assassinated. 

My  good  gentleman,"  said  Ludovic  to 
the  knight,  "  come  here,  and  tell  me  what 
has  brought  you  to  this  town." 

Bayard,  who  was  never  astonished  at  any- 
thing, freely  replied,  "  I  had  no  idea  that  I 
was  alone;  I  thought  my  companions  were 
behind  me  ;  but  they  are  wiser  than  I,  and 
more  used  to  the  ways  of  war,  or  they  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  made  prisoners  as 
well  as  myself.  In  the  mean  time,  in  my 
disgrace,  I  thank  heaven  that  I  have  fallen 
into  such  good  hands  as  yours." 

Ludovic  then  asked  him  the  number  of 
the  French  army.  . 

"  Sir,"  replied  Bayard,  "  I  do  not  think 
that  there  are  more  than  1,400  or  1,500 
men-at-arms,  and  from  16,000  to  18,000  foot- 
soldiers,  but  they  are  all  picked  men,  and 
resolved  to  make  the  duchy  of  Milan  submit 


Hife  of  ISagarfc  39 

at  once  and  for  ever  to  the  king,  their  mas- 
ter; and  for  you,  sir,  I  assure  you,  you  will 
be  safer  in  Germany  than  here,  for  your 
men  cannot  possibly  resist  us." 

The  duke  appeared  amused  at  the  cer- 
tainty with  which  Bayard  spoke,  but  it  gave 
him  something  to  think  of.  Nevertheless, 
he  hid  his  fears  under  a  show  of  bravery, 
and  gave  the  young  knight  to  understand 
that  he  wished  for  nothing  more  ardently 
than  a  meeting  between  his  troops  and  those 
of  the  king  of  France. 

Bayard  replied  that  nothing  would  give 
him  greater  pleasure  also,  provided  he  were 
not  in  prison. 

"  Set  your  mind  at  rest,"  said  the  prince; 
"it  is  my  intention  to  set  you  free.  Ask 
anything  you  like  of  me,  and  I  will  grant  it 
you." 

The  knight  had  not  expected  such  gener- 
osity. He  knelt  on  one  knee  to  thank  him. 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  the  greatest  favour  I  can 
ask  of  you  is  to  restore  my  arms  and  my 
horse,  and  allow  me  a  guide  to  the  garrison 
twenty  miles  distant;  and,  believe  me,  I 
shall  always  be  ready  to  serve  you,  if  I  can 
do  so  in  honour  to  my  king  and  to  my  coun- 
try." 

The  duke  ordered  Cazache  to  restore  his 


40     g>potiesg  antr 


arms  and  horse,  which  that  noble  officer  was 
only  too  ready  to  do.  The  horse  having 
arrived,  Bayard  vaulted  into  the  saddle  with 
his  usual  grace  and  agility,  and  again  thank- 
ing the  duke  for  his  generosity,  departed 
with  the  guide. 

Ludovic  was  far  from  rejoiced  at  what  had 
happened.  Although  he  admired  the  cour- 
age and  sang-froid  of  Bayard,  he  naturally 
thought  that  if  all  the  men  of  the  French 
army  were  like  him,  he  himself  would  not 
be  likely  to  prove  victorious. 

On  Bayard's  arrival  at  the  camp  he  pre- 
sented himself  to  his  general,  the  Count  of 
Ligny,  who  was  much  astonished  to  see  him. 
'  What,  Piquet!  "  said  he,  "  are  you  out  of 
prison  ?  Have  you  paid  your  ransom  ?  I 
was  about  to  send  a  herald  to  pay  it,  and 
bring  you  back." 

"  Sir,"  replied  Bayard,  "  I  thank  you  sin- 
cerely, as  I  ought.  Ludovic  has  spared  you 
the  trouble,  and  proved  himself  a  rival  in 
generosity  even  to  yourself  —  he  has  allowed 
me  to  return  without  ransom."  He  then 
related  to  him  and  a  crowd  of  officers  who 
were  present  the  whole  of  the  adventure 
from  first  to  last  ;  and,  in  reply  to  the  Lord 
Jean  Jacques,  who  asked  him  if  he  thought 
Ludovic  would  risk  battle,  he  replied  that 


Htfe  of  ISagartr  41 

Ludovic  had  not  given  him  to  understand 
as  much  as  that,  but  that  he  was  a  man  not 
easily  astonished,  and  one  for  whom  they 
must  be  always  ready.  "  As  for  me,"  he 
continued,  "  I  can  only  praise  him;  and  all 
I  know  is,  that  the  greater  part  of  his  men 
are  in  Novarra,  and  that  to  do  anything  he 
must  either  join  them  or  order  them  to 
come  to  him." 


CHAPTER   IV 

WE  have  previously  said  that  Ludovic 
had  entered  into  Milan,  but  that  the 
citadel  still  remained  in  the  possession  of  the 
French.  When  he  saw  the  king's  army  so 
near  him,  he  was  afraid  of  being  hemmed  in 
between  it  arid  the  citadel,  so  he  went  away 
secretly  in  the  night  to  Novarra,  taking  al- 
most all  his  followers,  and  leaving  the  rest  in 
Milan,  with  his  brother,  the  cardinal.  Just 
at  this  critical  juncture  LaTremouille  joined 
the  Count  of  Ligny  and  Trivulce,  and  they 
resolved  to  attack  Ludovic  in  Novarra.  Lu- 
dovic's  troops  were  strong  in  number,  but 
composed  of  Burgundians,  Swiss,  Lansque- 
nets, and  German  cavalry.  They  were, 
in  consequence  of  their  variety,  difficult  to 
govern.  Thus,  in  a  few  days,  the  town  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  French  generals. 
This  happened  the  Friday  before  Palm 
Sunday. 

It  was  reported  that  the  prince  was  not  in 
the  town,  and  that  he  had  escaped  to  Ger- 
many. Whether  he  was  betrayed  or  not  is 


Hife  of  tSagarfc  43 

not  certain;  it  was  ordered  that  the  foot- 
soldiers  should  pass  under  the  halberd,  and 
Ludovic,  pressing  among  these  in  the  dress 
of  a  common  soldier,  was  recognised,  and 
made  prisoner,  set  free  on  parole,1  and  the 
rest  of  his  army  were  allowed  to  march 
away.  Ludovic  Sforza,  with  bag  and  bag- 
gage, was  conveyed  to  France,  and,  after 
being  a  prisoner  at  Lyons,  in  Berry,  and  in 
Touraine,  successively,  died  in  1510.  It  is 
very  certain  that,  before  the  engagement, 
the  Swiss  had  mutinied,  either  because  their 
pay  was  irregular  or  at  the  instigation  of 
Antoine  de  Bessai,8  Grand  Bailiff  of  Dijon, 
who  was  in  great  repute  among  them.  It 
has  also  been  hazarded  that  they  would  not 
fight  against  their  numerous  countrymen 
in  the  king's  army.  Such  a  determination 
would  speedily  decide  the  loss  or  gain  of  a 
battle.  Whatever  it  was,  Ludovic  deserved 
a  happier  fate,  if  he  had  fought  for  a  better 
cause.  He  was  brave,  generous,  and  benefi- 

1  Ludovic  Sforza  was  carried  prisoner  into  France,  at  first 
to  Pierre-Encise,  at  Lyons ;  afterward  to  Lis-St.-George's,  at 
Berry ;  and  finally  to  the  castle  of  Loches  in  Touraine,  where 
he  died  in  1510. 

4  Antoine  de  Bessai,  Baron  of  Senchatel,  and  of  an  old  and 
illustrious  house  in  the  county  of  Burgundy.  He  was  held  in 
high  esteem  in  the  Swiss  cantons,  and  it  was  he  who  was  com- 
missioned by  the  king  to  raise  a  body  of  15,000  Swiss  for  the 
conquest  of  Milan. 


44          otUgg  auto 


cent  ;  but  his  good  qualities  failed  to  insure 
him  against  the  caprices  of  fortune. 

When  his  brother,  the  cardinal,  learnt 
that  he  was  a  prisoner,  he  quickly  sent  his 
two  sons  to  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  and 
was  himself  proceeding  to  Boulogne  with 
an  escort  of  500  or  600  horse,  but  he  was 
stopped  on  the  road  by  Severin  de  Gon- 
zagua,  captain  of  the  Venetians,  who  sent 
him  to  the  French,  and  took  care  of  the 
booty,  money,  and  baggage,  the  value  of 
which  they  estimated  at  two  hundred  ducats. 

The  rebels  at  Milan  did  not  know  the  fate 
of  their  princes  whom  they  had  submitted 
to  the  king,  and  they  fully  expected  their 
town  to  be  plundered,  but  they  found  the 
king  and  his  generals  more  magnanimous 
than  they  merited,  for  they  entirely  par- 
doned them. 

Louis,  wishing  to  reward  his  officers  for 
the  services  they  had  rendered  him  at  Milan, 
had  given  them,  as  fiefs,  several  places  in 
the  duchy;  among  others,  he  gave  Tortona 
and  Voghiera  to  the  Count  of  Ligny,  be- 
sides several  smaller  places.  They  had  all 
followed  the  example  of  the  capital,  and 
submitted  themselves  to  Ludovic.  The 
count  resolved  to  punish  them  for  their 
treachery.  He  took  with  him  the  famous 


Hife  of  ISagarir  45 

Captain  Louis  d'Ars,  Bayard,  and  several 
other  officers.  When  his  subjects  knew  his 
intentions,  and  that  he  had  already  reached 
Alexandria,  resolved,  as  he  said,  to  destroy 
them  by  fire  and  sword  (although  this  was  a 
mere  threat),  they  were  extremely  alarmed, 
fearing  a  destruction  which  they  knew  they 
deserved.  They  selected  twenty  of  their 
best  men,  and  sent  them  to  their  new  mas- 
ter to  sue  for  mercy.  This  deputation  met 
him  at  a  few  miles  from  Voghiera,  but  he 
appeared  not  to  notice  it,  and  continued  his 
way  to  the  town.  The  suppliants,  exceed- 
ingly frightened,  followed  him,  and  implored 
Louis  d'Ars  to  intercede  for  them.  This, 
with  his  usual  generosity,  the  gallant  cap- 
tain promised  to  do,  and  told  them  to  visit 
the  count  the  next  day.  In  the  interval  he 
informed  the  count  of  the  visit  he  might  ex- 
pect, and  begged  him  to  pardon  the  mis- 
creants. 

The  next  day,  after  the  count's  dinner, 
fifty  of  the  principal  citizens  appeared,  and 
presented  themselves  on  their  knees  and 
bareheaded  before  him.  A  very  eloquent 
man  among  them  begged  for  mercy  in  a 
soul-stirring  speech ;  but  the  count  appeared 
inflexible,  and  treated  with  the  utmost  dis- 
dain the  large  quantity  of  silver  they  had 


46          otless  anfc 


brought  him  as  a  peace-offering.  The  poor 
fellows  were  in  great  distress,  and  thought 
that  certain  death  must  be  their  fate,  when 
Louis  d'Ars  stepped  forward,  and,  with  his 
hat  in  his  hand  and  one  knee  on  the  ground, 
pleaded  for  them,  for  the  sake  of  God  and 
His  Son  Jesus  Christ. 

The  count  was  moved  almost  to  tears. 
"  Go,"  he  said,  "  I  pardon  you  for  the  sake 
of  the  Captain  of  Ars,  whose  services  de- 
serve even  a  better  return  than  that.  As  to 
your  silver,  I  cannot  accept  it."  Then, 
turning  to  Bayard,  "  Piquet,  take  all  this;  it 
will  adorn  your  table." 

"I  thank  you,"  replied  Bayard;  "God 
forbid  that  the  wealth  of  traitors  and  un-  ' 
faithful  subjects  should  be  used  by  me; 
they  would  do  me  harm."  So  saying,  he 
took  the  plate,  piece  by  piece,  and  distrib- 
uted it  among  those  present,  not  keeping 
one  for  himself.  Then  he  left  the  room, 
and  the  deputation  followed  him.  When 
he  was  gone,  all  the  company  began  to 
speak  of  the  generosity  of  Bayard.  They 
all  agreed  that  he  would  be  one  day  one  of 
the  most  perfect  of  men.  The  next  day,  to 
reward  him  for  his  generosity,  the  count 
presented  him  with  a  magnificent  velvet 
dress,  a  valuable  horse,  and  a  purse  contain- 


Hife  of  Itfagatfc  47 

ing  three  hundred  crowns,  which  he  immedi- 
ately shared  with  his  comrades. 

A  few  days  after  the  count  returned  to 
Milan,  where  the  Cardinal  d'Amboise  had 
just  arrived  as  lieutenant-general  for  the  king 
in  Lombardy,  and  thence  returned  to  France. 

The  treachery  of  the  Neapolitans,  and  the 
loss  of  that  kingdom,  would  certainly  have 
been  revenged  by  Charles  VIII.  had  he 
lived.  Louis  XII.,  his  successor,  began  his 
reign  with  the  conquest  of  Milan,  so  that 
his  intended  vengeance  upon  Naples  was 
postponed.'  Ferdinand,  the  son  of  Al- 
phonse,  in  whose  favour  the  rebellion  was 
raised,  was  dead,  and  his  uncle,  Frederic, 
had  succeeded  him. 

During  the  life  of  Charles,  the  Count  of 
Ligny  had  married  Eleanor  de  Baux,  Prin- 
cess of  Altemore.  The  house  of  Baux  was 


1  It  was  during  this  campaign  of  1503  that  Bayard,  offended 
by  Hyacinth  Simonetta,  a  man  belonging  to  a  noble  Milanese 
house,  of  merit  and  valour,  but  insolently  arrogant,  challenged 
him  to  a  duel  and  killed  him.  We  only  find  this  in  Alcyat, 
a  Milanese  jurisconsul,  who,  without  relating  either  the  cause  or 
the  circumstances,  says,  "  I  have  seen  knights  who,  too  much 
affecting  goodness  and  grace  under  arms,  have  let  victory 
escape  them.  Such  was  Hyacinth  Simonetta,  a  Milanese 
gentleman,  who  fought  against  Bayard,  a  French  captain, 
during  the  first  inroads  of  the  French  to  Italy.  It  was  a  mani- 
fest presage  of  the  overthrow  of  Sforza,  which  happened  soon 
after." 


48     Spotless  anfc 


ancient  and  illustrious;  it  was  a  Provencal 
family,  which  had  removed  to  Naples. 
When  duty  called  the  count  away,  the  lady 
felt  it  so  deeply  that  she  died  of  grief.  By 
her  death  and  the  king's  munificence,  De 
Ligny  possessed  many  lands  and  houses  in 
the  kingdom,  particularly  in  La  Pouille, 
such  as  Venoye,  Canose,  Monervine,  Ber- 
jeilles,  and  others.  Louis  having  resolved 
to  make  Naples  submit  to  him,  the  Count 
of  Ligny  had  hoped  to  command  the  king's 
army  there,  but  his  plan  was  twice  frus- 
trated, and  it  is  believed  that  vexation  for 
the  disappointment  occasioned  his  death, 
which  happened  a  short  time  after,  on  the 
3  ist  of  December,  1503. 

B6rault  Stuart,1  Lord  d'Aubigny,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  king  to  command  his  army. 
He  was  a  wise,  brave  officer,  then  captain 
of  the  Scotch  Guard.  The  army  was  com- 
pact and  numerous,  both  in  infantry  and 
cavalry.  The  Count  of  Ligny's  company 
was  under  the  orders  of  Louis  d'Ars.  Bay- 
ard took  leave  of  his  old  master  with  great 
friendship  expressed  on  both  sides,  and 
much  regret. 

1  The  president  Henaut  (Abrege  Chron.)  and  the  Abbe  La- 
vocat  (Diet.  Hist.)  call  him  Robert  Stuart,  but  his  real  name 
was  B6rault.  He  died  in  1548. 


Hife  of  13ai>ara  49 

D'Aubigny  marched  straight  into  Naples, 
and  with  such  speed,  that  Frederic,  taken 
by  surprise,  and  little  loved  by  his  subjects, 
was  unable  to  defend  himself,  and  had  no 
other  resource  but  to  make  the  best  condi- 
tions possible.  He  made  his  treaty  with  the 
French  general,  by  whom  he  was  told  that 
he  would  be  taken  into  France  with  his  wife 
and  his  children,1  and  that  he  would  have 
for  appanage  the  enjoyment  of  the  duchy  of 
Anjou  for  life.  He  was  received  by  the  king 
with  the  honour  due  to  his  dignity,  and  the 
treaty  was  strictly  observed  while  he  lived ; 
but  after  his  death,  in  1504,  his  widow  was 
so  neglected  that  she  fell  into  a  sad  state 
of  indigence  and  misery. 

Naples  conquered,  the  companies  were 
garrisoned  in  the  kingdom.  The  Count  of 
Ligny's  company  went  to  the  lands  that  be- 
longed to  that  nobleman,  and  Louis  d'Ars 
made  Bayard  governor  of  a  quantity  of  the 
possessions  of  De  Ligny.  He  acquitted 
himself  to  the  satisfaction  of  everybody. 

About  the  same  time  another  treaty  was 
made  with  Ferdinand,  King  of  Arragon, 
husband  of  Isabella  of  Castille,  father  of 

1  Frederic  married  one  of  his  daughters  to  La  Tremouille. 
From  that  circumstance  that  house  claimed  rights  to  the  crown 
of  Naples,  and  the  eldest  sons  bore  the  title  of  Princes  of  Ta- 
rento. 


Spotless  antr 


Jane  the  Fool,  and  grandfather  of  Charles 
V.  Ferdinand  had  claims  upon  a  part  of 
the  kingdom  of  Naples,  which  was  given  to 
him  by  the  king.  By  this  treaty  peace  was 
made  between  the  two  princes  and  with 
the  Emperor  Maximilian,  and  published  at 
Lyons  the  same  year.  The  mediator  was 
the  Archduke  Philip,  son-in-law  of  Ferdi- 
nand; he  also  drew  up  the  treaty,  which 
was  soon  violated,  and  while  Louis  was  rest- 
ing securely  upon  the  faith  of  Ferdinand, 
the  latter  sent  a  powerful  army  to  Ferdi- 
nand Gonzalvo,  called  the  great  captain,  his 
lieutenant  in  those  parts  which  had  been 
ceded  to  him.  These  troops  entered  into 
the  kingdom  of  Naples  by  the  connivance 
of  Pope  Alexander  VI.,  took  the  capital, 
and  drove  the  French  from  almost  all  parts 
of  the  kingdom.  D'Aubigny  opposed  them 
as  long  as  possible;  but  at  last,  forced  to 
yield  to  numbers,  he  retired  to  La  Pouille, 
where  he  remained  a  long  time  —  till  the  year 
1504,  when,  after  having  engaged  in  a  great 
number  of  battles,  gained  some  and  lost 
others,  the  French  were  obliged  to  leave  the 
country. 

But  let  us  return  to  our  hero  during  the 
sojourn  of  the  French  in  La  Pouille.  Being 
in  garrison  at  Monervine,  he  was  tired  of 


Hife  ot  ISagartr  51 

doing  nothing,  and  proposed  to  his  com- 
rades that  they  should  go  out  and  search  for 
stray  parties  of  Spaniards  whom  they  might 
overcome.  The  proposition  was  received 
with  joy,  and  they  set  out  at  daybreak  re- 
solved not  to  return  without  having  seen 
and  encountered  the  enemy.  On  the  same 
day,  the  Spanish  captain,  Don  Alonzo  de 
Soto  Mayor,  had  proposed  to  go  out  and 
meet  the  French;  and  Bayard  and  Alonzo 
were  both  equally  pleased  at  the  thought  of 
a  contest,  when  the  numbers  were  so  well 
matched.  The  numbers  were  about  equal. 
When  the  good  knight  recognised  the  Span- 
iards by  their  red  crosses,  he  turned  round 
in  his  saddle,  and  said  to  his  troop,  "  Now, 
my  friends,  here  is  just  what  we  came  to 
look  for;  here  is  some  honour  to  be  gained. 
Let  us  do  our  duty.  If  you  don't  see  me 
do  mine,  hold  me  all  my  life  as  a  poltroon." 
"  Charge!"  shouted  the  company ;  "don't 
let  us  give  them  the  honour  of  attacking  us. ' ' 
Then,  lowering  their  visors  and  putting  their 
horses  to  the  gallop,  they  fell  upon  the  Span- 
ish troop,  crying,  "  France!  France!"  On 
their  side,  the  Spaniards  returned  the  cheer 
with"  Spain!  Spain!  St.  Jago!"  and,  with 
lance  in  rest,  received  them  vigorously.  At 
the  first  shock  a  great  many  were  dismounted 


52     Sotless  ana 


on  both  sides,  and  their  companions  had  a 
great  deal  of  trouble  to  remount.  The  affair 
lasted  for  about  half  an  hour,  each  striving 
for  victory.  The  second  attack  was  on  the 
flank.  At  last  Bayard  so  inspirited  his  men 
by  word  and  example  that  the  Spaniards 
were  defeated.  They  left  seven  on  the  field 
and  as  many  prisoners;  the  rest  took  to 
flight,  their  commander  Soto  Mayor  with 
them.  Bayard  pursued  him  and  called  upon 
him  to  stop  if  he  did  not  wish  to  be  slain 
from  the  rear  ;  not  wishing  to  die  an  igno- 
minious death,  he  turned.  They  fought,  and 
the  Spaniard  yielded  to  the  Frenchman, 
after  displaying  courage  only  second  to  that 
of  Bayard  himself.  The  French  did  not  lose 
a  single  man  in  this  skirmish,  although  five 
or  six  were  wounded.  Bayard  behaved 
nobly  to  his  prisoner,  treating  him  with  all 
the  honour  due  to  so  distinguished  a  soldier, 
and  leaving  him  free,  on  receiving  his  word 
of  honour  that  he  would  not  go  beyond  the 
castle  walls.  Wearying  of  his  captivity,  al- 
though he  was  as  free  as  prisoner  could 
possibly  be,  Don  Alonzo  planned  his  escape. 
He  bribed  an  Albanian  named  Th£ode  to 
provide  two  horses,  by  means  of  which  they 
could  both  reach  the  nearest  garrison  of  the 
Spaniards.  Th6ode,  who  had  a  great  affec- 


Hife  of  iSagarfc  53 

tion  for  money  (of  which  he  was  promised  a 
large  sum  by  Alonzo),  consented  to  aid  his 
escape,  and  they  set  off,  Alonzo  intending 
to  send  Bayard  his  ransom,  the  price  of 
which  had  been  fixed  at  1,000  ducats.  Bay- 
ard, soon  after  their  departure,  came  round 
to  have  his  usual  talk  with  his  prisoner,  but 
he  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  Bayard's  rage 
and  indignation  at  the  departure  of  the 
Spaniard  and  the  Albanian  were  indescriba- 
ble. He  ordered  eleven  of  his  faithful  ser- 
vants to  ride  toward  Andres,  and  overtake 
the  fugitives.  They  had  scarcely  gone  two 
miles  when  they  perceived  the  two  not  far 
distant.  Alonzo  was  on  foot  attending  his 
horse's  saddle-girths.  Before  he  could  re- 
mount he  was  fallen  upon  by  Bayard's  men 
and  brought  back  to  Monervine.  Bayard, 
as  may  be  imagined,  severely  reproached 
him,  and  treated  his  petty  excuse  of  ennui 
with  contempt.  He  was  then  confined  to 
one  of  the  towers,  but  in  all  other  respects 
treated  as  before.  At  the  end  of  fifteen 
days  a  herald  and  one  of  his  valets  arrived 
with  his  ransom,  and  he  was  set  at  liberty. 
He  remained  just  long  enough  to  take  leave 
of  Bayard  and  the  other  officers,  and  to  see 
the  whole  of  his  ransom  money  distributed 
among  the  soldiers. 


54     Spotless  anir  jf  earless 

Upon  Don  Alonzo's  arrival  at  Andres  he 
was  questioned  as  to  the  character  of  Bay- 
ard. He  praised  the  character  of  the  man, 
but  complained  of  the  way  in  which  he  had 
been  treated  as  a  prisoner,  saying  he  would 
resent  such  conduct  to  his  dying  day.  His 
hearers  were  divided  in  their  opinions;  some 
sympathised  with  their  countryman,  others 
thought  Bayard  in  the  right,  while  others 
again  consoled  him  with  the  remark  that 
"  prisons  were  never  beautiful  places." 

It  came  to  Bayard's  ears  that  Don  Alonzo 
complained  of  his  treatment  while  he  was 
his  prisoner  ;  he  called  all  his  company  to- 
gether and  asked  them,  as  honourable  men, 
to  tell  him  if  they  had  ever  by  word  or  deed 
treated  the  Spaniard  in  a  manner  to  be  com- 
plained of.  They  all  answered  that  they 
had  treated  him  as  they  would  wish  to  be 
treated  under  similar  circumstances.  There- 
upon Bayard  sent  for  his  secretary  and  dic- 
tated a  challenge  to  Don  Alonzo.  The  her- 
ald by  whom  he  sent  it  brought  back  a  reply 
saying  that  Don  Alonzo  would  meet  Bayard 
within  fifteen  days,  at  two  miles  from  An- 
dres, or  in  any  other  place  which  seemed 
good  to  him.  Bayard,  who  was  far  from 
well,  accepted  all  the  terms  of  the  challenge, 
and  having  obtained  permission  to  fight  from 


Etfe  of  ISagarfc  ss 

the  Lord  of  La  Pallisse,  lieutenant  of  the 
Duke  de  Nemours,  he  chose  his  old  friend 
Bellabre  for  a  second. 

When  the  day  arrived,  Bayard  was  first 
upon  the  field,  mounted  and  dressed  in 
white.  The  Spaniard  had  not  yet  arrived, 
and  the  herald  was  despatched  to  hasten  his 
coming.  Bayard  had  previously  allowed 
him  the  choice  of  the  manner  of  fighting. 
Hearing  that  he  was  on  horseback,  Alonzo 
sent  to  say  that  he  chose  to  fight  on  foot, 
thinking  that  Bayard,  who  was  very  ill, 
would  be  obliged  to  refuse  to  fight  in  con- 
sequence; but  he  had  mistaken  the  char- 
acter of  the  man.  Bayard  was  certainly 
surprised,  but  he  quickly  recovered  himself 
and  sent  back  the  herald  to  hasten  his  ad- 
versary, who  presently  arrived  accompanied 
by  the  Marquis  of  Licite,  Don  Diego  Quig- 
nones,  Don  Pedro  de  Valdes,  Don  Francisco 
d'Altemez,  and  numerous  others.  Chaban- 
nes,  D'Oroze,  D'Humbercourt,  Fontrailles, 
Baron  of  Beam,  and  many  more  had  come 
with  Bayard  to  the  field.  The  combat  was 
of  long  duration.  Bayard,  notwithstanding 
his  weakness,  fought  with  his  usual  skill  and 
bravery.  After  some  time,  during  which 
Alonzo  managed  to  keep  even  with  his  ad- 
versary, Bayard  thrust  his  long  sword  into 


56     Spotless  antr 


the  Spaniard's  throat,  and  parrying  the 
blows  which  the  enraged  Spaniard  aimed  at 
him,  he  waited  till  the  loss  of  blood  had  con- 
siderably weakened  him,  and  then,  flinging 
himself  upon  his  adversary,  they  rolled  to- 
gether in  the  dust,  Bayard  giving  Don 
Alonzo  a  poniard  thrust  between  the  nose 
and  the  left  eye.  He  then  called  upon  him 
to  give  himself  up,  but  the  Spaniard  was 
dead.  Bayard  was  deeply  grieved  that  he 
had  killed  his  adversary,  but  the  deed  could 
not  now  be  undone,  and  he  flung  himself  on 
his  knees  and  thanked  God  for  giving  him 
the  victory.  He  then  went  to  the  umpire, 
Don  Diego,  and  asked  him  if  he  was  satis- 
fied with  what  he  had  done.  '  You  have 
done  too  well  for  the  honour  of  Spain,"  Don 
Diego  replied  sorrowfully.  "  As  the  body 
is  at  my  disposal,"  said  Bayard,  "  I  give  it 
to  you  ;  I  heartily  wish  I  could  give  him 
back  to  you  alive."  Then,  amid  great  cries 
and  much  lamentation,  the  Spaniards  bore 
the  dead  body  away,  and  the  French  carried 
back  the  conqueror  to  the  sound  of  trum- 
pets, hautboys,  and  numerous  other  instru- 
ments. 


CHAPTER   V 

WHEN  he  reached  home,  his  first  act 
was  to  proceed  at  once  to  the 
church,  where  he  a  second  time  offered  up 
thanks  to  God ;  and  afterward  gave  a  mag- 
nificent banquet  to  the  officers,  his  com- 
rades. This  combat  spread  the  reputation 
of  our  hero  over  the  whole  kingdom. 

After  this  event  there  was  a  truce  of  two 
months  proclaimed  between  the  French  and 
Spanish.  The  Spanish  were  inconsolable 
for  the  loss  of  Soto  Mayor,  and  vowed 
vengeance  against  the  French.  The  officers 
often  walked  near  each  others'  camps,  and 
the  Spaniards  appeared  to  take  pleasure  in 
trying  to  insult  the  French. 

One  day  thirteen  Spaniards  met  Bayard 
and  his  good  friend  D'Oroze  just  outside 
the  French  camp  at  Monervine.  The  Span- 
iards saluted  the  two  friends,  and  they  re- 
turned their  salutation. 

One  of  the  Spaniards,  Don  Diego  de  Bi- 
zagna,  who  had  belonged  to  Soto  Mayor's 
company,  and  was,  moreover,  a  brave  and 


bold  knight,  and  could  not  forgive  Bayard 
for  causing  his  death,  stepped  forward,  and 
said  to  Bayard,  "  My  good  French  lord,  the 
truce  has  only  lasted  eight  days  yet,  and  we 
are  utterly  tired  of  it ;  perhaps  you  feel  the 
same.  There  are  thirteen  of  us  here ;  if  you 
will  form  a  party  of  thirteen  against  us,  noth- 
ing would  afford  myself  and  companions 
greater  pleasure." 

Bayard  and  D'Oroze  looked  at  each  other. 
"  My  Lord  D'Oroze,"  said  Bayard,  "  what 
do  you  think  of  it  ? " 

"  I  know,"  said  D'Oroze,  "  what  answer 
I  should  make,  but  I  would  rather  hear  you 
speak. ' ' 

''  As  you  wish  it,"  replied  the  knight,  "  I 
will  answer."  "  My  lord,"  said  Bayard  to 
the  Spaniard,  "  my  companion  and  I  accept 
your  proposition  with  much  pleasure;  meet 
us  this  day  week  at  two  miles  distant  from 
here.  Thirteen  of  us  will  be  there,  and  we 
shall  see  which  side  will  conquer." 

The  Spaniards  promised,  and  they  re- 
turned to  their  sides.  Bayard  and  his  friend 
having  related  the  challenge  and  named  the 
rendesvous,  all  wished  to  be  of  the  thirteen. 
Conditions  of  the  fight  were  laid  down,  viz., 
that  if  a  knight  lost  his  horse  he  was  not 
to  fight ;  that  he  who  passed  over  a  certain 


Htfe  of  13agarii  59 

boundary  should  be  prisoner;  that  the  night 
should  terminate  the  combat;  and  if  there 
remained  but  one  unhorsed  on  each  side  he 
should  take  back  his  companions  with  equal 
honour  to  either  side. 

This  being  agreed  on,  the  two  parties  met, 
lance  in  rest,  and  put  spurs  to  their  horses. 
But  the  Spaniards,  in  the  fight,  basely  at- 
tacked the  horses  instead  of  the  men,  and 
with  such  success  that  eleven  of  them  were 
soon  dead  upon  the  field.  But  the  Span- 
iards' horses  refused  to  advance  over  the 
dead  bodies,  which  served  Bayard  and  his 
friend  D'Oroze  as  a  rampart;  for  they 
charged  the  Spaniards  boldly  and  frequently, 
and,  when  attacked  by  many,  retired  be- 
hind the  rampart  of  dead  horses,  so  that 
in  the  end,  when  night  set  in,  and  they 
were  obliged  to  quit  the  field,  the  two 
Frenchmen  were  unanimously  proclaimed 
victors. 

Some  time  after,  when  the  truce  was 
ended,  Bayard  heard  by  his  spies  that  a 
treasurer  from  Naples  was  about  to  carry  a 
large  sum  of  money  to  Gonzalvo,  and  that 
he  would  pass  at  a  few  miles  from  Moner- 
vine.  Bayard,  resolved  to  lay  hands  on  the 
man  and  his  treasure,  set  out  two  hours  be- 
fore daybreak,  and  went,  accompanied  only 


60 


Spotless  antr 


by  twenty  men,  and  put  himself  in  ambush 
between  two  little  hills,  and  he  sent  Tar- 
dieu,  one  of  his  men-at-arms,  in  another 
direction  with  twenty-five  Albanians,  so  that 
if  the  treasurer  escaped  one,  he  should  be 
taken  by  the  other.  At  seven  o'clock  in 
the  morning  the  knight's  spies  heard  the 
noise  of  horses,  and  came  to  announce  it  to 
him.  He  was  so  hidden  by  the  two  rocks 
that  the  treasurer  and  his  escort  passed  with- 
out seeing  him,  and,  as  soon  as  they  had 
gone  by,  Bayard  and  his  company  fell  upon 
them,  crying,  "  France!  France!  slay!  slay!" 
The  Spaniards,  thinking  they  had  a  whole 
army  at  their  back,  fled  to  Barletta  without 
looking  behind  them.  They  were  pursued 
until  the  treasurer  and  cashier  were  taken, 
when  15,000  ducats  were  found  in  their  cases. 
Tardieu,  arriving  just  at  this  time,  was  daz- 
zled by  the  glitter  of  the  coin,  and  claimed 
half  the  prize,  as  he  had  gone  on  the  expe- 
dition, but  Bayard,  who  loved  justice,  chose 
to  have  the  affair  properly  settled  by  the 
French  general,  who  decided  that  the  prize 
was  Bayard's  alone.  When  Tardieu  saw 
the  course  matters  were  taking,  he  made  a 
virtue  of  necessity  and  joined  in  the  laugh 
against  himself.  Bayard,  with  his  usual 
generosity,  gave  Tardieu  half  the  large  sum 


Hife  of  13aar&  6i 


of  money,  and  distributed  the  whole  of  the 
remainder  among  the  soldiers.  He  then  set 
the  treasurer  free,  and  allowed  a  herald  to 
accompany  him  to  Barletta,  whither  he 
wished  to  go. 


CHAPTER   VI 

TOWARD  the  end  of  the  war  of  which 
we  were  just  now  speaking,  the  French 
were  encamped  on  one  side  of  the  river  Garil- 
liano  and  the  Spaniards  on  the  other  side. 
Now  it  must  be  understood,  that  if  there  were 
brave  soldiers  on  the  one  side,  so  there  were 
on  the  other — above  all,  the  famous  Gon- 
zalvo  de  Cordova;  but  the  most  extraordi- 
nary of  them  was  Pedro  de  Pais,  who  was  not 
three  feet  high,  and  was  so  humpbacked  and 
deformed  that  the  head  of  his  horse,  when 
you  were  in  front  of  him,  hid  him  from  your 
view.  But,  in  spite  of  his  deformity,  he 
was  one  of  the  boldest  and  most  enterpris- 
ing <)f  the  whole  army.  One  day  he  took  it 
into  his  head  that  he  would  give  the  French 
an  alarm,  and  for  that  purpose  took  with 
him  about  120  men-at-arms,  each  with  a 
foot  soldier  mounted  behind  him,  armed 
with  arquebuses,  and  these  passed  the  Garil- 
liano  by  a  ford  which  they  knew.  When  the 
French  saw  them,  they  thought  the  whole 
of  the  Spanish  army  had  come  to  attack 


Hife  of 


them  ;  but  Bayard,  whose  quarters  were  near 
the  bridge,  soon  perceived  that  there  were 
not  200  Spaniards,  but  that  their  object  was 
to  take  possession  of  the  bridge,  which 
would  have  been  certain  ruin  to  the  French. 
He  immediately  despatched  Le  Basque  to 
seek  help,  while  he  stood  alone  at  their  end 
of  the  bridge,  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the 
Spaniards.  As  they  approached,  he  fell  upon 
them  with  such  terrible  fury  and  struck  such 
vigorous  blows  that  he  knocked  down  four 
men-at-arms  to  begin  with,  two  of  whom 
fell  into  the  water  and  were  never  seen 
again.  The  Spaniards  thought  they  were 
fighting  a  devil  and  not  a  man.  Incensed  by 
the  loss  of  their  countrymen,  they  fell  upon 
him  with  blind  fury,  he  returning  their  blows 
with  extraordinary  courage;  but  he  must 
undoubtedly  have  been  overcome  by  num- 
bers if  Le  Basque  had  not  arrived  with  200 
men,  who  saved  the  bridge  and  chased  the 
Spaniards  a  good  mile  on  the  other  side. 
They  would  have  gone  further,  but  Bayard 
perceived  a  body  of  700  or  800  men  coming 
to  assist  the  fugitives.  Thinking  they  had 
done  enough  for  one  day,  he  gave  the  order 
to  return,  himself  bringing  up  the  rear,  last 
in  retreat  as  he  was  always  first  in  attack. 
As  the  troop  was  marching  home  in  good 


64     Spotless  auto 


order,  it  was  again  attacked  by  a  detach- 
ment of  the  enemy.  Bayard's  horse  was 
much  fatigued,  and,  surrounded  as  he  was 
by  thirty  or  forty  men,  he  knew  it  was  use- 
less to  resist,  so  gave  himself  up  to  the  Span- 
iards. His  companions,  who  had  fought 
their  way  to  the  bridge,  thought  he  was 
among  them  until  Pierre  de  Guiffrey  sud- 
denly cried  out,  "  Comrades,  we  have  lost 
Bayard.  I  vow  that  I  will  have  news  of  him 
if  I  go  alone.  Shall  we  leave  the  man  who 
has  gained  us  so  much  glory  ?  He  is  either 
dead  or  a  prisoner."  There  was  great  con- 
fusion at  this  cry,  and  they  determined  to 
return  and  seek  their  leader.  They  soon 
overtook  the  Spaniards,  and  called  upon 
them  to  turn  and  fight.  They  did  so,  and 
as  they  had  not  disarmed  Bayard,  he  joined 
in  the  fray,  and,  leaving  his  own  jaded  horse, 
vaulted  upon  a  splendid  charger  from  which 
Salvador  Borgia  had  been  thrown  by  the 
lance  of  Le  Basque*  Finding  himself  well 
mounted,  the  knight  fought  desperately. 
The  Spaniards  learning  who  it  was  that  they 
had  allowed  to  escape,  lost  heart,  and  went 
off  at  full  gallop;  the  French  contented 
themselves  with  watching  their  flight,  only 
too  happy  to  retain  with  them  their  true 
guide  of  honour,  Bayard.  They  regained 


Hife  of  ISagarti  65 

their  camp  without  further  adventure,  where 
they  long  talked  of  a  day  made  so  extraor- 
dinary by  curious  adventures,  and  especially 
by  the  exploits  of  the  Knight  Bayard. 

To  take  up  the  thread  of  our  history. 
We  have  seen  before  that  the  French  army, 
which  kept  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  had  been 
obliged  to  abandon  it  through  the  numerous 
perfidies  of  Ferdinand,  King  of  Arragon, 
who  violated  all  the  treaties.  Alexander 
VI.  was  dead,  and  Julius  II.,  of  the  house 
of  La  Rouere,  occupied  the  holy  see,  when 
the  remnant  of  the  French  army  passed 
through  the  states  of  the  Church.  He 
treated  the  French  as  well  as  they  could 
possibly  expect,  but  it  was  the  friendship  of 
the  fox,  which  he  made  pay  well  in  the  end, 
having  always  been  a  sworn  enemy  to  the 
King  of  France,  and  the  whole  French  na- 
tion. 

[i  505.]  Louis  d'Ars  and  Bayard  remained 
in  Spain  after  the  departure  of  the  French 
army,  and  contrived  to  keep  several  places 
there  in  spite  of  the  whole  Spanish  army. 
On  their  return  to  court  the  king  gave  Bay- 
ard a  place  in  the  household  until  he  had  a 
company  ready  to  place  under  his  orders. 

This  same  year  [1505]  was  marked  by 
three  events.  The  first  was  the  death  of 
9 


66     Spotless  anfc 


Jeanne  de  France,  first  wife  of  the  king,  in 
the  town  of  Bourges;  the  second  was  the 
severe  illness  of  the  king,  who  was  given  up 
by  the  doctors;  this  circumstance  possibly 
saved  his  life,  for  he  recovered,  much  to  the 
joy  of  his  people,  by  whom  he  was  greatly 
beloved.  The  third  event  was  the  death  of 
Frederic  of  Arragon,  King  of  Naples,  in  the 
town  of  Tours.  He  held  this  crown  from 
his  ancestors,  who  had  usurped  it  ;  and  those 
who  took  it  from  Louis  XII.  had  no  more 
right  to  it  than  Frederic. 

The  next  year  [1506-7]  was  signalised  by 
the  deaths  of  the  incomparable  Isabella  of 
Castille,  wife  of  Ferdinand,  King  of  Arra- 
gon, and  her  son-in-law,  Philip-le-Beau, 
Archduke  of  Austria,  who  had  married  Jane, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  Isabella.  Ferdinand, 
now  a  widower,  married  again,  the  same 
year,  Germaine  de  Foix,  niece  of  Louis 
XII.,  and  sister  of  the  Duke  de  Nemours, 
with  whom  he  will  often  be  mentioned  in 
this  history.  This  princess,  although  she 
had  been  brought  up  at  the  Court  of  France, 
changed  her  principles  when  she  became 
the  wife  of  Ferdinand,  and  became  a  sworn 
enemy  of  her  country  and  the  royal  house. 

The  first  service  that  the  pope  rendered 
to  the  king  was,  by  all  the  means  in  his 


of  iUaarfc  <>7 


power,  to  try  and  draw  the  Genoese  from 
their  allegiance.  The  populace,  animated 
against  the  nobles,  chased  them  from  the 
town,  and  afterward  elected  for  doge  a  man 
named  Paul  de  Novi.  The  king  was  in- 
formed of  these  proceedings,  and  determined 
to  cross  the  mountains  in  person  without  de- 
lay, and  with  all  the  soldiers  that  the  occa- 
sion seemed  to  require. 

Bayard  was  then  at  Lyons,  very  ill  with 
intermittent  fever.and  from  the  consequences 
of  a  wound  which  he  had  formerly  received 
—  a  sword  wound,  which  became  ulcerated, 
but  from  which  he  fortunately  recovered  in 
time.  Notwithstanding  his  indisposition, 
Bayard  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  ready  for 
the  expedition.  The  army  was  so  quick  in 
its  march  that  they  surprised  the  Genoese, 
who  had  no  time  to  wait  for  the  help  which 
the  pope  and  some  other  Italian  princes 
were  to  have  sent  them  ;  they  nevertheless 
prepared  for  defence,  and  the  French  were 
astonished  to  find,  at  the  top  of  the  last 
mountain  which  it  was  necessary  to  cross  to 
arrive  at  the  town,  a  newly  constructed  fort, 
with  a  good  garrison  and  a  considerable 
muster  of  artillery.  Upon  this  the  king  held 
a  council  of  war,  and,  after  hearing  the  opin- 
ions of  the  rest,  took  the  advice  of  Bayard, 


68     Spotless  anto 


who  requested  permission  to  go  with  about 
1  20  known  brave  comrades  and  see  what 
they  were  doing  at  the  fort.  The  king 
begged  him  to  do  so,  and  they  set  out,  Bay- 
ard first,  as  always,  climbing  the  mountain 
on  all  fours.  When  they  reached  the  top  they 
were  obliged  to  stop  and  take  breath,  then 
they  marched  to  the  bastion,  having  first  to 
overcome  several  parties  of  advanced  guards, 
who  gave  them  some  trouble,  and  finally 
fled.  The  French  wished  to  pursue  them, 
but  Bayard  stopped  them,  crying,  "  Do  not 
follow  them,  comrades;  go  straight  to  the 
fort."  They  found  300  men  there,  who  de- 
fended themselves  pretty  well  for  a  time, 
but  who  soon  took  to  flight,  and  descended 
the  mountain  precipitately,  leaving  many  of 
their  comrades  dead  on  the  ground.  So 
Bayard  was  master  of  the  fort,  the  taking  of 
which  so  surprised  the  Genoese  that  their 
courage  failed  them,  and  they  submitted  at 
once  to  the  clemency  of  the  king.  Louis, 
having  entered  the  town,  made  them  pay  all 
the  expenses  of  the  war,  and  construct,  at 
their  expense,  a  citadel  which  commanded 
the  town,  and  which  he  named  Codifa.  He 
had  Paul  de  Novi  and  one  of  the  nobles  of 
the  house  of  Justiani  beheaded.  He  de- 
prived the  town  of  all  its  privileges,  gave 


Hife  of  iSagarfc 


the  people  a  governor  in  his  name,  to  whom 
he  obliged  them  to  swear  allegiance,  and 
ordered  that  in  future  the  coin  should  be 
marked  with  his  arms  and  those  of  the  town, 
after  which  he  forgave  them  for  all  that  was 
past. 

From  Genes  the  king  went  to  Savonne, 
where  he  had  an  interview  with  Ferdinand, 
King  of  Arragon,  returning  from  Naples 
with  his  new  wife,  Germaine  de  Foix.  She 
did  not  attempt  to  disguise  her  change  of 
opinions,  but  treated  the  French  nobility 
with  insolence,  not  even  excepting  the  Duke 
de  Nemours,  her  brother.  Her  husband,  on 
the  contrary,  treated  them  with  exceeding 
politeness,  and  complimented  the  king  upon 
the  possession  of  two  such  distinguished 
soldiers  as  Louis  d'Ars  and  Bayard.  The 
French  king,  on  his  side,  was  not  less 
friendly  to  the  great  Captain  Gonzalvo,  one 
of  the  heroes  of  his  age  and  nation,  and  of 
whose  virtues  Ferdinand  was  jealous.  He 
went  expressly  to  Naples  to  bring  back  Gon- 
zalvo with  him,  fearing  that,  as  he  was  such 
a  favourite  with  the  people,  they  would  trans- 
form him  from  viceroy  to  king.  After  his 
return  from  Naples,  Gonzalvo  passed  a  sor- 
rowful life  in  retirement,  and  when  he  died 
was  sumptuously  buried  by  the  king  and 


7°     g>PJrtles0  anfc 


mourned  by  the  nation.  After  a  few  days' 
conferences  between  Louis  and  Ferdinand 
they  separated,  Ferdinand  to  continue  his 
route  to  Spain,  Louis  to  go  to  Milan,  where 
Trivulce,  lately  become  Marshal  of  France, 
gave  him  a  magnificent  entertainment,  and 
for  three  days  the  six  or  seven  hundred  peo- 
ple who  were  gathered  together  enjoyed  the 
recreation  of  feasts,  balls,  comedies,  and 
various  other  kinds  of  amusements. 

In  the  following  year  [1508]  the  Emperor 
Maximilian  took  up  arms  against  the  Ve- 
netians, who  were  allies  of  Louis.  The  king 
immediately  sent  Trivulce  with  a  large  force 
to  assist  them  ;  but  the  Venetians,  knowing 
Maximilian's  rapacity  for  money,  offered 
him  a  large  sum  to  withdraw,  which  he  ac- 
cepted, much  to  the  disgust  of  Trivulce,  who 
was  annoyed  at  such  a  cowardly  proceeding. 

The  pride  of  this  republic  had  become  so 
unbearable  that  a  league  was  entered  into, 
called  the  League  of  Cambrai  —  a  treaty  of 
alliance,  offensive  and  defensive,  entered 
into  by  Louis  XII.,  Maximilian,  the  pope, 
and  the  King  of  Spain,  to  overthrow  the  re- 
public of  Venice.  One  clause  of  the  treaty 
was  to  the  effect  that  Louis  should  be  in 
Venice  forty  days  before  any  of  the  others. 
It  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  Louis  could 


Hife  of  i3agatfc  71 

have  signed  a  treaty  containing  such  a  clause, 
but  he  did  so.  As  it  turned  out,  he  had  all 
the  success  and  honour  of  the  affair,  but  his 
allies  shared  the  profit  with  him. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1508,  the  king  re- 
viewed his  troops  in  the  duchy  of  Milan. 
He  appointed  celebrated  captains  to  the 
command  of  his  army;  to  Bayard  he  gave 
the  company  of  Captain  Chatelart,  who  had 
recently  died;  but  when  he  also  gave  him 
the  command  of  1,000  infantry,  Bayard 
begged  that  the  number  might  be  reduced 
to  500,  as  he  feared  1,000  would  be  more 
than  he  could  manage.  The  king  acceded 
to  his  request,  and  at  the  end  of  March  he 
and  all  the  other  captains  were  at  Milan 
ready  for  action.  The  king's  army  con- 
sisted of  30,000  men,  both  foot  and  horse. 
The  Venetians  had  32,000  soldiers  under 
the  command  of  Nicolas  des  Ursins,  Count 
of  Petigliano. 

The  king,  on  arriving  at  Milan,  learnt  that 
a  little  town  on  the  Adda,  called  Trevi,  had 
been  taken  by  the  French  and  retaken  by 
the  Venetians;  that  the  Venetians  had  burnt 
the  town  to  punish  the  inhabitants  for  sur- 
rendering to  the  French,  and  afterward  taken 
prisoners  the  Captain  Fontrailles  and  all  his 
men,  besides  several  other  captains  who  were 


72     Spotless  antr 


there.  The  king  was  enraged  at  this,  and, 
constructing  two  bridges  over  the  Adda,  he 
made  his  cavalry  pass  over  by  one  and  his 
infantry  by  the  other.  The  next  day  he 
sacked  a  small  town  called  Rivolta,  and  two 
days  after,  on  the  I4th  of  May,  the  French 
and  Venetians  met  at  Agnadel.  The  Ve- 
netians did  wonders,  but  the  French  gained 
a  complete  victory,  and  showed  surprising 
bravery,  Bayard  and  his  men  especially,  who 
had  waded  through  a  marsh  up  to  their 
waists  in  water.  The  French  loss  was  com- 
paratively small,  but  the  Venetians  lost 
15,000  men.  D'Alviano,  the  infantry  gen- 
eral, was  taken  prisoner,  and  conducted  to 
the  presence  of  the  king,  who,  to  see  if  his 
troops  were  on  the  alert,  had  a  false  alarm 
made  after  dinner,  and  hearing  the  clanking 
of  arms  and  other  sounds  indicative  of  active 
preparations,  he  asked  D'Alviano  what  it 
could  be. 

"  Your  men  must  be  fighting  each  other, 
I  should  imagine,"  was  his  reply;  "  as  for 
our  troops,  I  can  promise  you  they  will  not 
soon  return." 

The  king  passed  two  days  on  the  battle- 
field, during  which  time  an  unhappy  castle 
named  Cavatas  was  knocked  to  bits  with 
cannon  and  taken  in  two  hours.  No  one 


Hife  of  ISagarfc  73 

was  found  within  but  some  peasants,  who 
were  immediately  hanged  from  the  battle- 
ments. This  example  so  intimidated  the 
others,  that  no  other  places  or  castles  re- 
sisted, with  the  exception  of  that  of  Pescara, 
the  garrison  of  which  was  severely  treated. 
Among  others,  a  high  steward  of  the  manor 
and  his  son  were  found  there;  they  offered 
a  large  ransom,  but  their  offers  and  dignity 
availed  them  nothing,  and  only  warranted 
their  being  hanged  on  the  first  tree.  They 
had  surrendered  to  a  gentleman  named  Le 
Lorrain,  a  distinguished  officer  who  had  ex- 
changed parole  with  them.  He  had  high 
words  with  the  general  (the  grand  master) 
on  their  behalf,  but,  notwithstanding  that, 
he  could  not  save  their  lives. 

The  king  took  up  his  abode  at  Pescara, 
after  he  had  reduced  to  submission  the 
places  it  was  his  intention  to  overthrow — 
Cremona,  Creme,  Brescia,  Bergamo,  and  a 
great  number  of  others.  The  towns  of  Ve- 
rona, Vicenza,  and  Padua  delivered  their  keys 
to  him ;  he  sent  them  to  the  emperor,  who 
claimed  them.  To  the  pope,  who  had  used 
him  so  ill,  he  gave  Ravenna,  Forli,  Imola, 
and  Faenza,  in  Lombardy ;  Brindes  and  Or- 
tanto,  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  He  did 
not  get  much  return  for  his  generosity;  the 


74     Spotless  anfc  jf  earless 

emperor  soon  lost  his  places,  and  the  pope 
became  even  a  more  dangerous  enemy,  as 
we  shall  shortly  see. 

The  remnant  of  the  Venetian  army  fled 
to  Trevison  and  Friuli  without  stopping, 
wrongly  imagining  that  the  French  were 
following  them,  at  which  the  emperor  had 
great  reason  to  be  satisfied. 

This  prince  had  promised  the  king  to  go 
to  Pescara  to  hold  a  conference  with  him. 
It  was  agreed  between  them  that  he  should 
come  by  boat  down  the  lake  which  waters 
one  side  of  this  place,  and  that  he  should 
have  what  escort  seemed  good  to  him.  The 
king  sent  the  Cardinal  D'Amboise  to  Rou- 
vray  to  receive  and  accompany  him,  but  this 
minister  could  not  persuade  him  to  come. 
The  cardinal  returned  to  the  king,  bringing 
with  him  the  Bishop  of  Goritz,  as  the  em- 
peror's ambassador,  to  compliment  the  king 
and  to  explain  the  reasons  why  his  master 
had  not  come  according  to  his  promise. 

A  little  while  after,  the  king  returned  to 
Milan,  at  the  commencement  of  July.  Pa- 
dua, about  this  time,  through  the  careless- 
ness of  Maximilian,  again  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Venetians.  He  had  only  left  800 
lansquenets  to  defend  the  place,  too  small  a 
number  for  a  town  six  miles  in  circumfer- 


Htfe  of  Bagarir  75 

ence.  The  town  was  cleverly  retaken  by 
the  skill  of  two  noble  Venetians,  Andr6 
Gritti  and  Luc  Malvezza,  who  had  always 
had  sway  in  this  place,  where  the  Venetian 
dominion  was  dear  to  them,  on  account  of 
the  exact  justice  the  government  of  the  doge 
gives  to  its  subjects.  These  two  nobles,  in 
the  commencement  of  July,  which  is  in  Italy 
the  season  of  the  second  hay  harvest,  lay  in 
ambush  at  a  crossbow-shot  from  the  town, 
in  a  place  full  of  thick  trees,  which  entirely 
obstructed  the  view,  and  concealed  there 
without  trouble  400  men-at-arms  and  2,000 
foot  soldiers.  The  environs  of  Padua  have 
abundance  of  hay,  and  the  wagons  to  carry 
it  were  so  large  that  they  filled  the  gates  of 
the  town.  Upon  this  they  formed  a  design, 
and  at  break  of  day,  the  four  first  cartloads 
having  entered,  they  had  the  fifth  followed 
by  six  knights,  each  with  a  foot  soldier  be- 
hind him  armed  with  an  arquebus,  and 
among  them  a  trumpet  to  sound  the  alarm 
when  the  time  should  be  come. 

On  the  other  side,  the  lansquenets  which 
composed  the  garrison  were  very  vigilant. 
They  kept  only  two  gates  open,  and  thirty 
men  on  guard  at  each.  The  Venetian  sei- 
gnory  had,  as  we  have  said,  many  spies  in  the 
town;  among  others,  a  gentleman  named 


76 


Geraldo  Magurin,  who  was  in  the  secret, 
and  was  to  appear  in  arms  with  those  of  his 
party  at  the  first  sound  of  the  trumpet. 
The  fifth  cartload  having  entered  after  the 
four  others,  the  six  men-at-arms,  who  fol- 
lowed it  closely,  began  shouting  "  Marco! 
Marco!"  The  foot  soldiers  behind  them 
dismounted  and  fired  so  skilfully  and  closely 
that  each  one  killed  his  man.  The  trumpet 
sounded,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  Vene- 
tians fell  upon  them  at  once,  uttering  the 
terrible  cries  of  "Marco!  Marco!  Italy! 
Italy!"  They  were  seconded  by  Magurin, 
who  had  kept  ready  enough  men  to  muster 
in  an  instant  from  the  houses  more  than 
2,000  inhabitants  armed  with  pikes  and  ja- 
velins. 

The  lansquenets,  extremely  astonished  at 
the  first  charge,  placed  themselves  promptly 
on  the  defence,  and  sounded  the  alarm  ;  but, 
when  they  saw  the  general  revolt,  and  that 
they  must  perish,  they  marched  to  the  great 
square  at  once  and  formed  a  square  battal- 
ion, resolved  to  fight  vigorously  and  to  sell 
their  lives  dearly.  They  had  hardly  formed 
thus  when  they  saw  themselves  attacked  on 
two  or  three  sides  at  once.  Such  a  splendid 
defence  was  never  seen.  They  held  out  for 
two  hours  without  breaking.  In  the  end 


Hife  of  Uagarfc  77 

the  greater  number  conquered;  they  were 
broken  and  defeated  without  any  quarter. 
But  in  revenge  they  made  their  conquerors 
pay  dearly  for  their  defeat.  They  killed 
more  than  1,500  on  the  spot,  both  inhab- 
itants and  assailants. 

Thus  the  town  returned  to  the  doge ;  and 
the  Count  of  Petigliano  having  entered,  re- 
paired and  fortified  it  thoroughly,  knowing 
of  what  importance  it  was  to  his  masters. 

When  the  emperor  heard  of  the  revolt  of 
Padua  he  was  furious,  and  swore  to  be 
avenged  and  go  in  person  to  punish  the 
offenders.  He  asked  Louis  for  500  men- 
at-arms  for  three  months.  Louis  readily 
agreed,  and  charged  the  brave  Chabannes  to 
choose  that  number  from  the  men  whose 
valour  he  could  most  depend  upon,  and  take 
them  to  the  emperor.  Chabannes  was  de- 
lighted ;  war  was  his  element ;  and  as  he  left 
the  gates  of  the  castle  of  Milan,  he  met 
Bayard  and  asked  him  to  accompany  him. 
Bayard  was  as  overjoyed  as  himself,  and 
readily  promised  to  do  so. 

These  two  great  men  gained  all  the  vic- 
tories they  were  trying  for,  and  returned 
with  great  pomp  to  Verona,  where  they 
were  magnificently  received  by  the  Bishop 
of  Trent,  for  the  emperor.  They  remained 


78     g>i)otiegs  anfc 


there  two  days,  were  feasted  and  made  much 
of  by  the  inhabitants,  and  then  returned  to 
Vicenza,  which  they  entered  readily,  the 
people  having  fled  as  soon  as  they  heard  that 
the  French  were  marching  toward  them. 
They  remained  five  or  six  days  at  Vicenza, 
awaiting  news  of  the  emperor,  who,  they 
said,  was  already  in  the  country  ;  but  he  did 
not  arrive  till  the  commencement  of  August, 
when  he  brought  with  him  a  large  number  of 
troops,  which,  joined  to  the  original  French 
army  and  two  reinforcements  which  they 
had  recently  received,  made  a  considerable 
army.  He  received  Chabannes  with  much 
pomp  at  the  camp,  near  the  town  of  Est. 
If  they  had  had  to  wait  for  him,  with  the 
help  of  the  army  he  had  brought  they  soon 
made  up  for  loss  of  time.  He  had  with  him 
nearly  120  princes,  dukes,  counts,  or  lords 
of  the  first  German  families,  about  12,000 
horses,  and  500  or  600  lancers  of  Burgundy 
and  Hainault,  and  nearly  50,000  infantry. 
Hippolite  d'Est,  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara, 
came  to  join  the  emperor  in  the  name  of  his 
brother,  the  Duke  Alphonse  I.,  and  brought 
500  horses,  3,000  foot  soldiers,  and  twelve 
pieces  of  artillery.  The  Cardinal  of  Mantua 
brought  nearly  the  same  number,  so  that 
altogether  the  armyconsisted  of  100,000  men. 


Htfe  of  iiagart)  79 

The  first  encampment  of  the  emperor  was 
at  eight  miles  from  Padua,  near  the  palace 
of  the  Queen  of  Cyprus.  While  he  was 
there,  another  reenforcement  of  1,000  or 
1,200  arrived,  all  picked  men  and  fit  for  war, 
under  the  generalship  of  Jacques  d'Alegre, 
Lord  of  Millaut,  well  worthy  of  command- 
ing them.  It  was  there  that  the  emperor 
proposed  the  siege  of  Padua,  and  held  a 
council  of  war  to  fix  on  a  plan  of  operations. 
By  this  council  it  was  decided  that  the 
French  soldiers,  with  the  lansquenets  of  the 
Prince  of  Anhalt,  as  the  best  German  troop 
in  the  army,  should  form  the  point:  but 
that,  before  all,  it  was  necessary  to  take 
possession  of  Montselles,  a  little  place  on 
the  road  to  Padua  with  a  strong  castle, 
whose  Venetian  garrison  would  have  been 
able  to  hinder  the  march  of  the  troops,  and 
still  more  the  convoys  of  provisions  and 
ammunition. 

On  the  morning  of  the  next  day  the  army 
set  out  and  arrived  near  Montselles,  which 
gave  itself  up  at  first,  being  utterly  defence- 
less; but  the  castle,  which  was  good  and 
capable  of  holding  out  for  a  long  time,  dis- 
turbed the  generals.  However,  by  the  cow- 
ardice of  those  who  were  in  it,  they  were 
soon  masters  of  it.  They  began  to  beat  it 


80     Spotless  anti  fearless 

down,  and  they  had  hardly  commenced  the 
breach,  when  the  alarm  was  sounded  for  the 
assault.  They  had  a  good  bowshot's  length 
to  climb,  but  the  French  adventurers  of  the 
Captain  d'Alegre  were  there  in  so  short  a 
time  that  they  seemed  to  fly.  The  garri- 
son, which  was  entirely  composed  of  rabble, 
made  a  show  of  resistance,  but  in  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  the  place  was  taken  and  all  were 
massacred.  The  adventurers  took  500  horses 
besides  other  plunder.  The  town  and  castle 
were  given  back  to  the  Duke  of  Ferrara,  who 
reclaimed  them,  but  he  had  to  give  the  em- 
peror 30,000  ducats  for  them.  The  Cardinal 
d'Est  took  possession  of  it  for  his  brother, 
and  placed  a  good  garrison  there. 

The  emperor,  whom  we  left  in  his  camp 
before  Montselles,  had  no  sooner  given  up 
this  place  to  its  rightful  owner,  than  he 
marched  straight  to  Padua,  and  approached 
within  a  mile  of  it.  Besides  being  well  for- 
tified, the  city  was  defended  by  the  Count 
of  P6tigliano,  a  skilful  general,  who  had  with 
him  1,000  men-at-arms,  12,000  infantry,  and 
200  pieces  of  cannon,  so  that  raising  a  siege 
was  an  important  matter. 

The  emperor  encamped  within  a  mile  of 
the  walls,  held  a  council  of  war  to  deliberate 
on  which  side  he  should  form  the  siege,  and 


ILife  of  iUagartr 


called  to  it  those  amongst  the  French  whom 
he  honoured  with  his  esteem  and  confidence. 
They  agreed  that  the  emperor  should  take 
up  his  position  near  the  gate  which  leads  to 
Vicenza,  having  the  French  with  him  ;  that 
the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara  should  be  at  another 
gate  higher  up,  with  the  Burgundy  and 
Hainault  soldiers  and  10,000  lansquenets; 
that  at  another  gate,  beyond  the  emperor's 
quarters,  the  Cardinal  of  Mantua  should  be 
stationed,  with  his  brother  John  and  the 
lansquenets  of  the  Prince  of  Anhalt,  in  order 
that  in  case  of  need  these  divisions  might 
easily  obtain  help  from  the  main  body  of  the 
army. 

Bayard,  for  whom  the  most  perilous  tasks 
were  always  reserved,  was  ordered  to  go  first, 
accompanied  by  the  young  Bussy  d'Am- 
boise,  La  Cropte-Daillon,  La  Clayette,  etc. 
Now  there  was  a  high  road,  perfectly 
straight,  going  right  to  the  gate  of  Vicenza, 
upon  which,  at  a  distance  of  200  feet,  they 
had  constructed  four  large  barriers  furnished 
with  men  and  firearms;  and  on  each  side 
this  road  was  bordered  with  wide  and  deep 
ditches,  according  to  the  custom  of  Italy,  in 
order  that  they  might  only  be  attacked  from 
the  front.  They  placed  artillerymen  on  the 
walls  of  the  town  which  overlooked  the  road, 
6 


82     Spotless  atttr 


and  which,  over  the  barriers,  and  without 
inconveniencing  those  who  guarded  them, 
fired  upon  the  French  a  hail-storm  of  cannon. 
In  the  meantime  Bayard  and  his  compan- 
ions attacked  the  first  barrier,  which  was  well 
defended  ;  nevertheless,  they  managed  to 
force  it,  and  drove  the  enemy  to  the  second. 
If  the  fight  was  hot  at  the  first,  it  was  hotter 
still  at  the  second  barrier.  Young  Bussy 
had  his  arm  pierced  with  a  shot,  and  his 
horse  killed  under  him  ;  but  he  did  not  leave 
the  party  on  that  account;  on  the  contrary, 
he  became  more  furious.  At  this  second 
attack  the  Captain  d'Alegre  came  to  their 
aid  with  120  of  his  chosen  men,  who  were 
more  like  lions  than  men.  All  this  hap- 
pened at  mid-day,  so  that  it  was  easy  to  see 
who  did  his  duty  and  who  neglected  it. 
After  half  an  hour's  fighting,  the  second  bar- 
rier was  forced  and  taken,  and  the  enemy 
were  chased  and  pursued  so  closely  that  they 
could  not  remain  at  the  third,  and  were 
happy  to  be  able  to  reach  the  fourth.  This 
was  at  a  stone's  throw  from  the  ramparts  of 
the  town,  and  guarded  by  1,000  or  1,200 
men,  with  three  or  four  falconets,  which 
made  a  terrible  fire  upon  the  main  road,  but 
(incredible  fact)  only  killed  two  horses.  The 
fugitives,  who  had  joined  themselves  at  the 


Hife  of  itfagatfc 


barrier  with  those  who  guarded  it,  took  cour- 
age under  shelter  of  the  walls  of  the  place, 
and  the  attack  having  lasted  an  hour,  Bay- 
ard was  tired  of  such  a  lengthy  resistance, 
and  cried  to  his  men,  "  Comrades,  this  is 
lasting  too  long;  let  us  dismount  and  force 
the  barrier."  They  did  so,  to  the  number 
of  thirty  or  forty,  and,  with  visor  raised  and 
lance  lowered,  they  rushed  upon  the  Vene- 
tian guard.  Near  Bayard  fought  the  Prince 
d'Anhalt,  Jean  le  Picard,  and  the  Captain 
Maulevrier,  who  all  fought  furiously.  But 
Bayard,  seeing  that  the  enemy  was  momen- 
tarily reinforced,  cried  out  a  second  time, 
"  Comrades,  they  shall  keep  us  here  as  long 
as  they  like.  Let  us  give  them  assault. 
Follow  me,  all  of  you;  sound  trumpet." 
He  himself  led  the  way  with  the  fury  of  a 
lion.  His  companions  seconded  him  so  well 
that  the  enemy  withdrew  a  pike's  length. 
Then  Bayard,  without  hesitation,  leapt  over 
the  barrier,  shouting,  "  Friends,  they  are 
ours,  let  us  go  on!"  Those  who  had  dis- 
mounted vaulted  after  him,  and  those  who 
had  remained  on  horseback,  seeing  the  dan- 
ger in  which  their  comrades  were,  imitated 
them  in  crying,  "  France  !  France  !  Empire  ! 
Empire!"  Then  the  attack  went  on  with 
redoubled  force,  and  was  such  that  the  en- 


antr 


emy  left  the  place,  and  fled  in  disorder  into 
the  town.  Thus  the  four  barriers  were 
forced,  in  open  day,  to  the  great  glory  of 
the  French,  and  especially  of  our  hero,  to 
whom  all  unanimously  gave  the  honour. 
This  expedition  over,  the  artillery  was  im- 
mediately brought  down  to  the  bank  of  the 
moat,  and  the  soldiers  were  so  quartered 
that  they  formed  three  camps,  as  had  been 
previously  arranged.  The  army  and  its  fol- 
lowers were  so  numerous  that  they  covered 
an  area  of  more  than  four  miles,  in  a  coun- 
try so  abundant  in  provisions,  corn,  wine, 
and  hay,  and  everything  necessary  for  both 
men  and  horses,  that  at  the  raising  of  the 
siege,  which  lasted  about  two  months  and  a 
half,  they  burnt  the  worth  of  100,000  ducats 
which  they  could  not  carry  away. 

The  day  after  the  taking  of  the  barriers 
the  artillery  began  their  work,  and  com- 
menced their  terrible  fire,  which  the  town 
returned  with  usury.  They  made  three 
breaches,  which  were  speedily  converted 
into  one,  and  consequently  more  than  large 
enough  for  an  assault. 

While  the  artillery  were  at  work,  one  of 
the  emperor's  cannoneers  was  discovered  fir- 
ing against  the  camp,  instead  of  the  town. 
His  trial  was  soon  finished.  He  was  placed 


Htfc  of  ISagarfc 


in  a  mortar  instead  of  a  bomb,  and  blown  to 
bits  towards  the  town.  They  accused  one 
of  the  emperor's  generals  of  this  treason,  a 
Greek,  named  Constantine,  who  governed 
the  emperor,  and  was  the  cause  of  his  com- 
mitting great  faults;  yet  he  was  his  favour- 
ite. They  suspected  him  of  having  cor- 
rupted this  man,  and  even  of  being  concerned 
in  a  plot  with  the  Count  of  P6tigliano,  giv- 
ing him  news  of  everything  that  happened 
in  the  emperor's  camp.  Chabannes  re- 
proached him  publicly,  treated  him  as  a 
traitor  and  a  coward,  and  challenged  him  to 
fight  ;  but  the  other  refused,  saying  his  con- 
science would  not  allow  it.  The  emperor, 
to  prevent  ill  consequences,  reconciled  them. 
The  Count  of  P£tigliano,  whether  he  had 
been  told  or  not,  had  fortified  his  place  so 
well  that  500,000  men  could  not  carry  it. 
He  had  made  behind  the  breach  a  moat, 
with  ditches  twenty  feet  deep  and  as  many 
wide,  where  he  had  put  several  layers  of 
fagots  and  dry  wood,  all  covered  with  gun- 
powder, and  at  a  hundred  steps  apart  he  had 
raised  a  rampart  with  artillery,  which  com- 
manded the  whole  length  of  the  moat.  Be- 
side this  insurmountable  trench  was  a  beau- 
tiful esplanade,  where  the  Venetian  army, 
cavalry  and  infantry,  could  range  themselves 


86 


Spotless  antr 


in  battle,  to  the  number  of  20,000  men,  and 
behind  this  esplanade  he  had  raised  plat- 
forms, furnished  with  from  twenty  to  thirty 
pieces  of  cannon  each,  pointed  to  the  breach 
over  the  heads  of  the  garrison.  When  some 
French  officers  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Count  of  Petigliano,  made  prisoner  in  skir- 
mishes, and  who  ransomed  themselves,  they 
made  no  difficulty  of  letting  them  see  these 
entrenchments,  that  they  should  give  an  ac- 
count of  them  to  their  generals,  especially 
to  Chabannes,  and  inform  him  of  the  certain 
danger  of  hazarding  the  assault.  "  For," 
he  said  to  them  on  taking  leave,  "  I  hope 
that  the  republic  will  get  sooner  or  later  into 
the  good  graces  of  the  King  of  France  ;  and 
if  it  -vere  not  for  the  consideration  that  I 
have  for  your  nation,  and  those  who  are 
with  the  emperor,  I  assure  you  that  I  would 
make  him  raise  the  siege  to-morrow."  All 
that  was  reported  to  the  French  generals, 
but  the  king,  having  given  them  to  the  em- 
peror for  auxiliaries,  they  would  not  take 
anything  upon  themselves.  Before  we  re- 
late what  the  emperor  intended  to  do,  we 
may  note  two  adventures  that  befell  our 
hero. 

During  the  siege  of  Padua,  the  besieged 
frequently  inconvenienced  the  emperor  by 


Htfe  oC  ISagarfc 


their  attacks.  The  garrison  of  TreVisa,  an- 
other good  place  twenty  or  twenty-five  miles 
from  there,  served  him  the  same.  It  was 
commanded  by  the  Duke  of  Malvezze,  an 
excellent  captain,  and  by  other  officers. 
This  commander  did  not  fail  to  give  the 
alert  to  the  imperial  camp  two  or  three 
times  a  week,  and  when  he  found  an  occa- 
sion, he  profited  by  it  ;  if,  on  the  contrary, 
he  found  resistance,  he  retired.  He  contin- 
ued this  manoeuvre  a  long  time,  but  so 
wisely  that  he  never  lost  a  single  one  of  his 
men.  Bayard  was  tired  of  this,  and  said  to 
two  of  his  particular  friends,  with  whom  he 
lodged,  La  Cropte-Daillon  and  La  Clayette  : 
"  This  Captain  Malvezze,"  said  he,  "  is  too 
much  talked  about.  I  am  sorry  he  does  not 
know  what  sort  of  men  we  are.  If  you  will 
second  me,  we  will  look  for  him  to-morrow, 
and  as  he  has  not  appeared  for  two  days, 
I  do  not  despair  of  finding  him." 

Bayard  had  spies,  whom  he  paid  so  well 
that  they  would  not  have  betrayed  him  at 
the  peril  of  their  lives.  One  of  them  had 
informed  him  of  the  route  and  the  forces  of 
Malvezze.  Having  arranged  his  plans  upon 
this  information,  and  his  two  friends  having 
consented  to  join  him,  he  told  each  of  them 
to  arm  thirty  brave  men-at-arms,  at  two 


88     Spotless  antr 


o'clock  in  the  morning;  and  "  I,"  added  he, 
"  will  take  my  company  with  some  of  our 
good  companions,  Bonnet,  Mipont,  Coss6, 
Brezon,  and  others,  and  we  will  mount  in 
the  strictest  silence.  Confide  in  me;  I  have 
a  guide  in  whom  I  can  trust."  At  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  the  month  of 
September,  all  were  on  horseback,  and  the 
spy  walked  before,  escorted  by  four  soldiers. 
Bayard,  too  prudent  to  place  himself  en- 
tirely in  the  power  of  such  men  without  pre- 
caution, had  promised  him  a  large  reward  if 
he  did  his  duty;  but  in  case  of  treason,  the 
four  soldiers  had  orders  to  kill  him  with  their 
poniards.  This  spy  served  him  well,  and  led 
the  company  for  about  ten  miles.  When 
day  broke,  they  found  themselves  near  a 
large  and  beautiful  country  house,  an  exten- 
sive garden,  and  a  park  surrounded  by  walls. 
The  spy  pointed  it  out  to  Bayard,  and  as- 
sured him  that  if  this  was  the  day  upon 
which  Captain  Malvezze  had  to  give  the 
alarm  to  the  camp,  he  would  necessarily 
pass  there  ;  that  as  this  castle  was  abandoned 
on  account  of  the  war,  it  was  easy  for  the 
soldiers  to  lie  in  ambush  there,  seeing  all, 
but  unseen  themselves.  The  advice  was 
considered  good.  They  entered  the  castle, 
and  remained  for  two  hours  without  results. 


HUe  of  Bagar* 


At  the  end  of  that  time  they  heard  a  great 
noise  of  horses,  which  was  just  what  they 
had  been  awaiting. 

Bayard  had  with  him  an  old  soldier,  named 
Monart,  an  experienced  warrior,  and  a  man 
in  whom  he  could  place  implicit  trust.  He 
had  placed  him  as  sentinel  in  the  dove-cote 
of  the  house,  to  examine  whom  and  how 
many  they  had  to  deal  with.  This  soldier 
saw  from  a  distance,  and  recognised  the 
Captain  Malvezze,  with  his  troop,  which  he 
judged  to  consist  of  about  100  men-at-arms, 
and  about  200  Albanians,  commanded  by 
the  Captain  Scanderbeg,  all  well  mounted, 
and  with  the  air  of  men  ready  for  anything. 
This  troop  having  passed  the  French  ambus- 
cade at  about  a  bow-shot,  the  sentinel  went 
down,  and  made  his  report,  at  which  every 
one  was  pleased.  Then  Bayard  ordered 
them  to  harness  their  horses,  which  each 
one  did  himself,  because  they  had  no  grooms 
with  them.  Then  he  said  to  his  company  : 

Friends,  it  is  ten  years  since  such  a  good 
adventure  came  in  our  way,  and  if  each  of 
us  do  his  duty,  the  number  ought  not  to 
astonish  us;  they  are  two  against  one,  but 
that  is  very  trifling.  Let  us  set  out  imme- 
diately." All  having  answered,  "  Let  us 
go!  let  us  set  out!"  the  gate  was  opened, 


90          otiegs  anfc 


and  they  galloped  briskly  after  their  ene- 
mies. After  having  marched  a  mile,  they 
discovered  them  on  the  high  road,  and  Bay- 
ard ordered  the  trumpet  to  sound.  The 
Venetians,  much  astonished  at  hearing  the 
trumpet,  thought  it  must  be  some  of  their 
own  men  coming  to  join  them.  Neverthe- 
less, they  waited  to  know,  and  were  much 
deceived.  To  their  surprise  was  joined  the 
fear  of  finding  themselves  shut  in  between 
the  advancing  enemy  and  the  emperor's 
camp,  without  any  possible  means  of  escape  ; 
but  they  took  courage  again  when  they  saw 
the  few  men  approaching. 

The  Captain  Malvezze  encouraged  his 
men,  exhorted  them  to  do  well,  because 
they  must  conquer  or  perish  ;  that  there  re- 
mained no  means  of  escape,  the  road  being 
bordered  by  fosses  so  deep  and  wide  that  no 
knight  would  have  the  boldness  to  jump 
them.  Afterward  he  had  the  trumpet 
sounded,  and  the  French  trumpet  answered. 
When  they  were  a  bow-shot  the  one  from 
the  other,  they  began  to  charge,  the  French 
crying,  "  France!  France!  Empire!  Em- 
pire!" and  the  Venetians,  "  Marco!  Marco!" 
The  first  charge  was  severe.  A  great  num- 
ber were  unsaddled.  The  Captain  Bonnet 
pierced  a  gendarme  through  and  through 


Itife  of  iSaarfc  91 


with  one  stroke  of  his  lance,  and  on  both 
sides  the  fight  was  very  desperate.  The 
Albanians  left  their  soldiers  with  the  French, 
and,  thinking  to  surprise  them  from  behind, 
they  went  off  the  high  road.  Bayard  per- 
ceived this,  and  said  to  La  Cropte-Daillon: 
"  Keep  your  eye  upon  them,  so  that  they 
do  not  shut  us  in.  I  will  undertake  those 
who  are  before  us."  La  Cropte  did  so,  and 
when  the  Albanians  thought  to  fall  upon  the 
French,  they  were  so  well  received  that  a 
dozen  of  them  were  left  on  the  field,  and  the 
rest  took  to  flight,  and  departed  as  fast  as 
their  legs  could  carry  them.  La  Cropte  did 
not  pursue  them.  He  returned  to  the  main 
body;  but  the  action  was  finished,  the  Vene- 
tians were  conquered,  and  the  victors  were 
already  seizing  their  prisoners.  The  Cap- 
tain Malvezze,  with  twenty  or  thirty  of  the 
best  mounted,  crossed  the  moat,  and  re- 
turned whence  they  came.  The  French  did 
not  pursue  them  ;  their  horses  went  too  fast, 
owing  to  the  vigorous  spurring  of  their 
masters. 

The  French  began  the  retreat  with  more 
prisoners  than  men  ;  but  they  deprived  them 
of  their  swords,  and  made  them  march  in 
the  midst,  and  in  this  manner  they  reached 
the  camp.  Just  at  this  juncture  the  emperor 


92     g>P0tiess 


was  walking  with  some  of  his  courtiers  ;  and 
perceiving  a  thick  cloud  of  dust,  he  sent  a 
French  officer,  Louis  de  Peschin,  to  learn 
the  meaning  of  it.  This  officer  told  him 
that  the  captains  Bayard,  La  Cropte,  and  La 
Clayette  had  returned  from  performing  the 
boldest  stroke  that  the  last  one  hundred 
years  had  witnessed.  The  emperor  could 
not  conceal  his  joy.  He  visited  the  troop, 
and  complimented  them  generally,  and  he 
congratulated  each  captain  upon  such  a  day; 
and  finally,  addressing  himself  to  Bayard,  he 
said:  "Knight,  the  king,  my  brother  and 
your  master,  is  proud  and  happy  to  have 
such  a  man  as  you  in  his  service.  I  wish  I 
had  a  dozen  like  you,  if  they  cost  me  100,000 
florins  a  year." 


CHAPTER   VII 

NO  previous  expedition  ever  made  so 
much  stir  as  this,  and  no  captain  ever 
got  so  much  honour  as  Bayard;  but,  with 
his  accustomed  modesty,  he  attributed  the 
glory  to  his  friends  and  soldiers,  and  never 
to  himself. 

A  few  days  after  this  action  he  learnt  from 
his  spies  that  Captain  Scanderbeg,  with  his 
Albanians  and  some  other  horsemen,  had 
retired  into  the  Castle  of  Bassano,  and  that 
from  there  they  made  raids  upon  those  who 
came  to  the  camp,  and  upon  the  foot-sol- 
diers who  were  returning  to  Germany  with 
their  booty  and  horses  that  they  had  taken 
from  the  enemy;  and  that  in  a  few  days 
even  they  had  defeated  more  than  200,  and 
retaken  from  them  400  or  500  oxen  or  cows, 
which  they  had  with  them  in  the  castle. 
"  And  if  you  like,"  added  the  spy,  "  I  can 
take  you  to  a  defile  at  the  foot  of  a  moun- 
tain where  they  will  fall  into  your  hands." 
Bayard,  who  had  always  found  this  man 
faithful,  and  had  always  paid  him  well,  re- 


solved  to  follow  him,  without  informing  any 
one  of  his  intention,  feeling  certain  that, 
with  his  thirty  men-at-arms,  his  company  of 
archers,  and  ten  or  twelve  gentlemen  who 
were  attached  to  him,  and  who  served  as 
volunteers  simply  to  learn  the  art  of  war 
from  him,  he  could  easily  defeat  200  light- 
horse  Albanians,  who  had  for  a  chief  Re- 
nault Contarini,  a  noble  Venetian,  a  native 
of  Padua.  He  informed  his  soldiers  and 
friends  of  his  plan,  who  were  charmed  with 
it.  Everything  being  ready,  they  set  out  an 
hour  before  daybreak,  one  Saturday  in  the 
month  of  September,  and  travelled  fifteen 
miles  with  their  spy,  before  arriving  at  the 
defile,  where  they  were  fortunate  enough  to 
arrive  without  being  seen.  They  ambus- 
caded themselves  at  a  cannon-shot  from  the 
castle,  and  a  moment  afterward  they  heard 
a  trumpet,  which  from  the  castle  sounded 
'To  horse."  Bayard,  very  pleased  with 
his  expedition,  asked  the  spy  what  road  he 
thought  the  Albanians  would  take.  He  re- 
plied: "  That  whatever  road  they  took,  they 
must  necessarily  pass  a  little  wooden  bridge, 
which  was  at  a  mile  from  there,  and  which 
two  men  could  easily  guard ;  and  when  they 
have  passed,"  added  he,  "  send  some  of 
your  men  to  seize  the  bridge,  so  that  they 


Htfe  of  iUaartr  95 


cannot  return,  and  I  will  conduct  you  by  a 
gorge  which  I  know  of  in  the  mountains  to 
a  plain  near  the  palace  of  the  Queen  of 
Cyprus,  where  you  will  surely  meet  them." 
It  was  then  merely  a  question  as  to  who 
should  guard  the  bridge.  The  Lord  of  Bon- 
net said:  "  Captain,  if  you  have  no  objec- 
tion, Mipont  and  I  will  guard  the  bridge, 
with  as  many  men  as  you  shall  see  fit  to 
give  us."  Bayard  consented,  and  gave  them 
six  men-at-arms  and  ten  or  twelve  archers. 

While  they  were  making  these  arrange- 
ments, they  heard  the  noise  of  the  Albanian 
troop  coming  down  from  the  castle,  as  if 
they  were  going  to  a  wedding,  reckoning 
upon  making  some  good  capture,  according 
to  custom  ;  but  they  had  reckoned  too  surely 
this  time. 

They  let  them  pass  the  bridge,  and  imme- 
diately Bonnet  and  his  companions  seized 
it,  while  Bayard  and  his  men  followed  the 
spy  into  the  defile  of  the  mountain.  They 
were  so  well  conducted  that  in  less  than  half 
an  hour  they  found  themselves  in  a  plain 
where  they  would  have  seen  a  knight  at 
6,000  steps.  Then  they  saw,  at  something 
more  than  a  cannon-shot  from  them,  their 
enemies,  who  were  taking  the  road  to  Vi- 
cenza,  where  they  reckoned  upon  an  en- 


96    Spotless  anfc 


counter  with  the  enemy.  Bayard  ordered 
his  standard-bearer,  the  bastard  Du  Fay,  to 
take  twenty  men,  and  to  go  and  skirmish, 
to  engage  them  in  action,  and  then  to  fly,  as 
if  frightened  at  so  large  a  number.  "  Bring 
them  here,"  said  he;  "I  await  you  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain,  and  you  shall  see  some 
fine  sport."  Du  Fay  did  not  wait  to  say 
more;  he  saw  the  whole  plan  at  a  glance. 
He  then  went  near  enough  to  the  enemies 
to  be  recognised  by  his  white  crosses.  Then 
Scanderbeg  and  his  men,  overjoyed  at  the 
meeting,  began  the  charge,  crying,  '  '  Marco  !  '  ' 
Du  Fay,  pretending  great  fear,  fled  with  all 
his  might,  accompanied  by  his  men,  toward 
the  mountain,  and  were  pursued  so  hotly 
that  the  enemies  precipitated  themselves 
into  the  ambuscade  of  Bayard,  who  awaited 
them,  fully  prepared.  He  immediately  ap- 
peared with  his  men,  who,  like  so  many 
lions,  fell  upon  the  enemy,  crying,  "  Em- 
pire! France!"  and  at  the  first  shock  they 
unsaddled  more  than  thirty  men.  The  Al- 
banians and  the  crossbowmen  kept  up  some 
time,  but  finally  they  galloped  off  in  the 
direction  of  the  bridge  by  which  they  had 
crossed  an  hour  previously.  They  were  so 
well  mounted  that  Bayard  would  have  lost 
his  prey  if  the  bridge  had  not  been  guarded 


of  iSagarfc  97 


by  Bonnet,  Mipont,  and  their  men,  who  hin- 
dered their  crossing  by  it.  This  second  sur- 
prise put  Scanderbeg  under  the  necessity 
of  fighting  or  flying.  The  greater  number 
adopted  the  latter  plan,  but  they  were  so 
well  followed  that  they  took  from  them  two 
captains,  thirty  crossbowmen,  and  sixty  Al- 
banians. The  rest  escaped  across  country 
to  TreVisa. 

A  few  days  before,  Bayard  had  received  as 
a  cadet  into  his  company  a  young  gentleman 
of  Dauphiny,  named  Guignes  Geoffrey,  son 
of  the  Lord  of  Boutieres.  He  was  between 
sixteen  and  seventeen  years  old,  and  being  de- 
scended from  brave  ancestors,  he  was  already 
capable  of  walking  in  their  steps.  He  was 
in  this  expedition  of  Bayard's,  and  he  gave 
good  promise  of  what  he  would  do  in  the 
future.  Having  seen  the  standard-bearer  of 
Contarini  leap  a  ditch  and  take  to  flight  dur- 
ing the  action,  he  vaulted  after  him  at  the 
risk  of  breaking  his  neck,  and  soon  reached 
him.  He  gave  him  such  a  sudden  and 
powerful  blow  with  his  lance  that  he  shiv- 
ered it  to  pieces,  and  upset  the  fugitive  ; 
then,  taking  his  sword  in  his  hand,  he  cried, 
'  Yield  yourself,  sir  ensign,  or  I  will  kill 
you."  Preferring  the  former  to  the  latter 
course,  the  ensign  gave  his  sword  and  flag 
7 


98          otiegg  auto 


into  the  boy's  hands.  Geoffrey,  more  over- 
joyed than  if  he  had  found  his  weight  in 
gold,  made  him  remount  his  horse,  and 
march  before  him  to  the  place  where  he  had 
left  Bayard.  He  arrived  as  they  were  sound- 
ing retreat,  and  saw  so  many  prisoners  that 
he  was  embarrassed.  Bonnet  was  the  first 
who  perceived  him,  and  who  showed  him  to 
the  knight,  returning  with  his  prisoner  and 
flag.  Bayard  never  felt  more  pleased  in  his 
life.  "  Have  you  taken  this  standard-bearer 
and  his  flag?"  he  asked.  "Yes,  sir,"  re- 
plied Geoffrey;  "  God  has  given  me  that 
favour,  but  I  assure  you,  if  he  had  not  given 
himself  up,  I  should  have  killed  him." 
This  speech  doubled  the  pleasure  of  Bayard 
and  the  whole  assembled  company,  and  he 
said  to  him,  "  Boutieres,  my  dear  friend, 
you  have  begun  well;  God  grant  that  you 
may  continue;"  which  the  result  verified, 
for  he  became  an  excellent  officer. 

Our  hero,  not  content  with  the  expedition 
just  recorded,  still  wished  to  make  himself 
master  of  the  castle  of  Bassano.  He  spoke 
of  it  to  his  companions,  Bonnet,  Mipont, 
and  Pierrepont,  his  nephew  and  lieutenant, 
and  other  officers  who  had  followed  him. 
"  For,"  said  he,  "  they  have  that  within 
that  will  enrich  our  men."  "  That  is  more 


ILtfe  of  ISagarfc  99 

easily  said  than  done,"  they  replied.  "  Re- 
member the  castle  is  strong,  and  we  have  no 
artillery."  "  For  my  part,"  answered  Bay- 
ard, "  I  intend  to  have  it  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour."  He  then  had  the  two  Venetian  cap- 
tains, Contarini  and  Scanderbeg,  brought 
before  him,  and  said  to  them  :  "  Gentlemen, 
I  know  it  is  in  your  power  to  put  me  in  in- 
stant possession  of  the  castle.  I  give  you 
your  choice  to  do  so,  or  to  have  your  heads 
cut  off  before  its  gates  presently."  They 
promised  to  do  their  best;  and,  indeed,  he 
who  commanded  there,  a  nephew  of  Scan- 
derbeg's,  gave  it  up  as  soon  as  his  uncle  had 
asked  him. 

They  found  there  more  than  500  oxen  and 
cows,  and  a  quantity  of  plunder.  The  whole 
was  equally  distributed  among  the  victori- 
ous troops,  who  were  greatly  enriched  by  it. 
The  cattle  were  led  to  Vicenza,  where  each 
one  received  the  value  of  his  share  in  money. 
They  found  in  the  castle  plenty  of  provisions 
for  their  horses,  and  sufficient  to  make  good 
cheer  for  themselves.  They  made  their  two 
prisoners  sit  down  to  table  with  them,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  meal  young  Boutieres  en- 
tered to  salute  his  captain,  and  to  present 
his  prisoner,  who  was  a  man  of  thirty  years, 
twice  as  big  as  he  was. 


100         otlesg  anir 


At  the  sight  of  this  disproportion  Bayard 
could  not  help  laughing;  then,  addressing 
himself  to  the  two  Venetians:  "Gentle- 
men," said  he,  "  here  is  a  child  who  only 
six  days  ago  was  a  page,  and  who  will  not 
have  a  beard  for  three  years;  nevertheless 
he  has  taken  your  flag.  What  do  you  say 
to  it  ?  I  don't  know  what  your  officers 
think  of  it,  but  we  French  are  less  easily 
overcome;  it  requires  some  trouble  for 
stronger  than  we  to  wrest  our  flag  from  us." 

The  Venetian  ensign  felt  how  humiliating 
this  pleasantry  was  to  him,  and  he  replied, 
in  his  own  tongue:  "  My  faith,  captain,  if 
I  gave  myself  up,  it  was  not  because  I  was 
afraid  of  the  boy  who  took  me  ;  he  could  not 
have  made  me  prisoner,  but  I  could  not  re- 
sist the  whole  troop." 

Bayard  at  this  answer  looked  at  Boutieres, 
and  said  to  him:  "  Do  you  hear  what  your 
prisoner  has  just  said  ?"  The  young  man, 
cut  to  the  quick,  reddened  with  vexation, 
and  begged  the  knight  to  grant  him  a  favour 
he  had  to  ask.  Having  obtained  it,  he  said  : 
"  Sir,  it  is  that  you  will  allow  me  to  give 
back  his  arms  and  horse  to  this  man,  and  to 
get  upon  my  own.  We  will  go  together  to 
the  meadow  and  fight  once  more.  If  he 
conquers,  I  give  him  back  his  ransom,  but  if 


ILtfe  of 


I  am  victorious,  I  swear  to  him  before  God 
that  I  will  kill  him." 

"  Certainly,  I  grant  you  that  wish,"  cried 
Bayard,  joyfully,  but  the  Venetian  would 
not  run  the  risk,  and  shamefully  refused  the 
challenge  ;  thus  Boutieres  had  the  honour  of 
a  second  victory. 

After  they  had  dined,  the  French  resumed 
their  homeward  route,  taking  with  them 
their  prisoners.  They  were  received  as  well 
as  they  had  been  on  the  former  occasion. 
Bayard  was  congratulated  by  the  emperor 
himself;  but  young  Boutieres  carried  off  the 
palm,  both  for  the  capture  of  the  Venetian 
ensign,  and  the  offer  he  had  made  to  give 
him  his  revenge.  Chabannes  especially  could 
not  sufficiently  admire  him,  and  told  him 
that  he  was  a  worthy  representative  of  the 
house  of  Geoffrey,  which  he  had  known  a 
long  time,  and  which  had  always  been  fruit- 
ful in  great  men. 

We  must  now  return  to  the  siege  of  Pa- 
dua, where  we  left  the  emperor,  resolved  to 
commence  the  assault.  This  prince,  seeing 
the  success  of  the  artillery,  and  that  one  of 
the  three  breaches  was  $00  feet  wide,  re- 
proached himself  for  his  weakness,  in  not 
having  commenced  sooner,  considering  the 
number  and  strength  of  his  army.  He  had 


102    Spotless  auto  jfearlesss 

hardly  returned  to  his  quarters  with  the 
lords  and  princes  of  his  court,  when  he  sent 
for  a  secretary  to  whom  he  dictated  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  Chabannes,  who  was  lodged 
quite  near  to  him: 

"  My  cousin,  I  have  been  this  morning  to 
see  the  breach  of  the  town,  which  I  consider 
easily  got  through  by  him  who  wishes  to  do 
his  duty.  I  have  appointed  the  assault  for 
to-day.  I  therefore  pray  you  that  as  soon 
as  my  great  drum  sounds,  which  will  be 
about  mid-day,  you  shall  hold  ready  all  the 
French  gentlemen  under  your  command,  at 
my  service,  by  the  order  of  my  brother  the 
King  of  France,  to  go  to  the  said  assault 
with  my  foot-soldiers,  and  I  hope,  with 
God's  help,  that  we  shall  carry  the  place." 

The  same  secretary  who  had  written  the 
letter  was  ordered  to  carry  it  to  Chabannes, 
who  considered  the  emperor's  proposition 
very  extraordinary.  However,  he  contented 
himself  with  replying  to  the  secretary  that 
he  was  exceedingly  surprised  that  the  em- 
peror had  not  done  his  brother  officers  and 
himself  the  honour  of  calling  them  together 
to  deliberate  upon  an  affair  of  such  import- 
ance, and  he  also  charged  him  to  tell  his  im- 
perial majesty,  that  he  would  call  the  officers 
together  and  communicate  to  them  the  con- 


llife  of  ISagarfc  103 

tents  of  his  letter,  and  he  had  no  doubt  that 
they  would  be  ready  to  obey  him. 

When  the  secretary  had  departed,  Cha- 
bannes  sent  word  to  all  the  captains  to  as- 
semble themselves  at  his  quarters.  The 
report  had  already  spread  that  the  assault 
would  be  made  on  that  day,  and  it  was  a 
curious  thing  to  see  each  soldier  anxious  to 
confess  himself,  paying  for  his  turn  with  a 
good  heavy  sum  of  gold,  some  of  the  men 
even  trusting  their  purses  to  the  priests  who 
confessed  them.  The  historian  adds  that 
there  was  never  so  much  money  before  seen 
with  an  army,  and  he  has  no  doubt  that  the 
reverend  gentlemen  would  not  have  been 
displeased  if  they  who  entrusted  their  money 
to  them  had  fallen  in  the  assault  and  re- 
mained in  the  breach.  Besides  the  abun- 
dance of  specie,  that  of  provisions  was  not 
less ;  and  not  a  day  passed  but  300  or  400 
lansquenets  deserted,  taking  away  to  their 
country  all  sorts  of  animals,  furniture, 
clothes,  and  other  articles ;  so  much  so  that 
they  valued  the  plunder  taken  in  the  domain 
of  Padua  at  2,000,000  crowns,  including  the 
cost  of  burnt  palaces  and  houses. 

When  all  the  captains  had  arrived,,  Cha- 
bannes  ordered  dinner  to  be  served.  "  Be- 
cause," said  he,  laughing,  "  I  have  some- 


anfc 


thing  to  say  to  you  presently  which  might 
take  away  your  appetites."  He  well  knew 
what  sort  of  men  he  was  talking  to,  and  that 
in  the  whole  company  there  was  not  one 
man  who  was  not  a  hero,  especially  Bayard, 
whose  right  to  that  title  no  one  disputed. 
The  meal  ended,  all  but  the  French  officers 
went  out.  Then  Chabannes  read  them  the 
emperor's  letter,  and  read  it  again,  so  that 
they  might  thoroughly  understand  it.  The 
surprise  was  so  great  that  they  looked  at 
each  other,  each  apparently  expecting  the 
other  to  speak.  Humbercourt  broke  silence, 
and  said,  laughingly,  that  the  Lord  of  Cha- 
bannes could  send  word  to  the  emperor  that 
they  were  all  disposed  to  obey  him.  "  I 
begin,"  said  he,  "  to  get  tired  of  this;  more- 
over, we're  getting  to  the  bottom  of  our 
good  wine." 

They  smiled  at  this  sally,  and  every  one 
said  his  say,  agreeing  with  Humbercourt. 
Bayard  alone  said  nothing,  and  seemed  ab- 
sent-minded, sitting  still  and  picking  his 
teeth. 

"  What  do  you  say,  O  Hercules  of  France  ?" 
Chabannes  asked,  good-humouredly.  "  Is 
this  a  time  for  picking  teeth  ?  What  answer 
shall  we  make  to  the  emperor  ?  " 

Bayard,  who  never  lost  his  good  humour, 


Htfe  of  fSagarfc  105 

replied  in  the  same  tone:  "  If  we  all  wish  to 
follow  the  advice  of  the  Lord  D'H umber- 
court,  we  have  only  to  go  straight  to  the 
breach;  but  as  it  is  not  the  business  of  a 
man-at-arms  to  fight  on  foot,  I  could  will- 
ingly dispense  with  the  honour.  In  the 
meantime,  I  will  tell  you  my  opinion  upon 
the  subject,  as  you  wish  to  know.  The  em- 
peror commands  you  to  make  foot-soldiers 
of  all  the  French  gentlemen,  that  they  may 
go  to  the  breach  with  the  lansquenets.  As 
for  me,  although  I  have  neither  wealth  nor 
lordship,  I  have  the  honour  of  being  a  gen- 
tleman. I  do  not  compare  myself  to  you, 
my  lords,  who  are  all  rich  and  of  great 
houses,  as  nearly  all  my  company  are ;  but 
I  don't  know  what  the  emperor  is  thinking 
of  in  wishing  to  compromise  so  much  nobil- 
ity with  his  foot-soldiers,  of  whom  one  is  a 
shoemaker,  another  a  baker,  another  a  tailor ; 
and,  besides,  they  are  men  who  have  no  pre- 
viously gained  glory  to  recommend  them,  as 
we  have.  Begging  His  Majesty's  pardon,  it 
is  degrading  us  too  much.  This,  my  lord," 
added  he,  ' '  is  what  I  think  you  should  an- 
swer: You  have  assembled  your  captains 
together;  they  are  determined  to  follow  his 
orders,  as  far  as  they  agree  with  those  of  the 
king  their  master;  that  he  cannot  be  igno- 


106 


antr 


rant  that  the  king  has  none  but  gentlemen 
under  his  orders,  and  it  is  too  much  to  un- 
derrate them  by  mixing  them  with  his  foot- 
soldiers  ;  but  that  he  has  a  number  of  counts, 
German  lords  and  gentlemen,  that  he  can 
put  on  foot  with  the  French  men-at-arms, 
to  whom  we  will  show  the  way;  and  that 
after  that  he  can  send  his  lansquenets  to  get 
a  taste  of  it,  and  see  how  they  like  it." 

When  he  had  finished  this  speech  every 
one  agreed  with  him  without  exception. 
The  answer  was  then  put  into  shape  and 
sent  to  the  emperor,  who  appeared  pleased 
with  it.  Immediately  he  had  trumpets  and 
drums  sounded  to  assemble  the  princes,  cap- 
tains, and  lords  of  his  court  and  his  army, 
as  well  of  Germany  as  of  Burgundy  and 
Flanders.  He  declared  to  them  that  he  was 
resolved  to  give  the  assault  in  an  hour;  that 
he  had  warned  the  French  lords  and  captains 
of  it,  who  all  promised  to  do  their  duty,  but 
had  begged  that  the  German  gentlemen 
should  go  with  them,  they  willingly  march- 
ing first  to  the  breach.  '  That  is  why," 
added  he,  "  I  entreat  you  all  in  my  power 
to  accept  the  part,  and  to  go  on  foot  with 
them  ;  and  I  hope,  at  the  first  assault,  we 
shall  carry  the  place.  '  ' 

This   speech   finished,    murmurings   were 


Hife  of  ISagattr  I07 

heard  amongst  the  Germans  for  the  space 
of  nearly  half  an  hour.  Finally,  one  of  the 
best  qualified,  deputed  to  speak  for  the  rest, 
told  the  emperor  that  their  duty  was  to  fight 
on  horseback,  like  gentlemen,  and  not  on 
foot ;  still  less  did  it  become  them  to  go  to 
a  breach.  The  emperor  could  scarcely  ex- 
pect any  other  answer,  and  though  he  was 
extremely  displeased,  he  hid  his  vexation, 
and  only  said  to  them:  "  It  will  be  neces- 
sary, then,  to  consult  as  to  what  is  best  to 
be  done."  He  immediately  sent  for  a  gen- 
tleman of  his  household,  named  Rocandolff, 
who  was  ordinarily  charged  with  his  commis- 
sions for  the  generals,  and  who  was  as  often 
with  them  as  with  his  master,  and  said: 
"  Go  from  me  to  my  cousin,  the  Lord  of  La 
Palisse;  commend  me  to  him  and  all  the 
French  lords  with  him,  and  tell  him  that 
there  will  be  no  assault  to-day."  This  an- 
swer having  been  taken  to  Chabannes,  every 
one  disarmed  himself,  some  glad,  others 
sorry,  for  there  were  some  among  them,  says 
the  historian,1  who  had  reckoned  otherwise. 

1  The  people  who  were  displeased  at  this  result  were  evi- 
dently the  reverend  depositaries  of  the  soldiers'  money. 
"  Certes,"  adds  the  Loyal  Servant,  "  the  priests  were  not  over- 
delighted,  they  being  obliged  to  restore  what  had  been  deliv- 
ered into  their  keeping."  The  emperor  removed  after  this  more 
than  forty  miles  from  the  camp,  and  ordered  the  siege  to  be  raised. 


108    Spotless  antr  ^fearless 

The  emperor  showed  great  self-possession 
in  disguising  from  his  nobility  the  vexation 
he  felt  when  they  refused  the  service  which 
the  French  undertook,  but  he  was  not  the 
less  piqued. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

'"pHE  valiant  Prince  of  Anhalt  thought 
1  differently  to  the  others.  He  not 
only  told  the  emperor  of  his  willingness  to 
go  to  the  breach,  but  he  went  again  to  find 
the  French,  and  to  show  them  how  discon- 
tented he  was  at  what  had  happened.  There 
was  with  him  in  the  imperial  army  an  officer 
distinguished  by  his  bravery  and  all  sorts  of 
good  qualities,  who  was  called  Jacob  Emps, 
or  Empser,  a  gentleman  of  Swabia,  in  the 
diocese  of  Constance,  and  who  in  the  end 
passed  into  the  king's  service.  He  often 
made  one  of  the  French  party  when  there 
were  assaults  or  skirmishes  to  be  made. 
But  this  Captain  Jacob  and  the  Prince  of 
Anhalt  could  not  make  up  for  all  the  Ger- 
mans. The  emperor  played  a  very  singular 
part,  suggested  by  the  indignation  that  his 
officers  had  caused  him.  He  left  his  army 
the  following  night  very  secretly,  escorted 
by  a  bodyguard  of  500  or  600  men,  and  re- 
tired to  his  own  estates,  forty  miles  distant. 
Thence  he  sent  to  Constantine,  his  lieuten- 


110         otlegg  antr 


ant-general,  and  to  the  Lord  of  Palisse,  to 
raise  the  siege  as  well  as  they  could  under 
the  circumstances. 

The  sudden  departure  of  this  prince  equally 
surprised  his  own  soldiers  and  the  French. 
In  the  meantime,  pursuant  to  his  orders, 
they  held  a  council  of  war,  and  resolved 
upon  raising  the  siege.  It  was  not  a  very 
easy  operation  to  transport  about  140  pieces 
of  cannon  ;  there  were  only  carriages  for 
about  half  the  number.  The  French  were 
ordered  to  escort  them,  and  by  this  means 
this  numerous  artillery  was  all  removed. 
But  the  Prince  of  Anhalt,  to  cover  the  shame 
of  his  nation  as  much  as  possible,  did  not 
leave  the  escort  during  the  whole  process  of 
removal,  and  he  was  on  foot  and  armed  from 
morning  till  evening,  without  giving  himself 
time  to  eat,  which  acquired  him  the  honour 
and  esteem  of  the  French. 

They  practised  the  same  manoeuvre  for 
taking  many  cannon  that  they  had  recourse 
to  on  their  arrival:  they  took  part  of  them, 
and  returned  with  the  carriages  to  take 
others,  and  so  on  till  all  were  carried  there. 
In  the  meantime,  the  garrison  of  Padua 
made  vigorous  sallies  from  hour  to  hour, 
notwithstanding  which  the  siege  was  raised 
without  the  loss  of  a  single  man  by  either 


Hife  of 


army.  The  German  lansquenets  burnt  every 
house  that  they  left,  and  all  they  found  on 
their  road.  Bayard,  who  had  a  horror  of 
excess,  and  of  everything  contrary  to  the 
laws  of  war,  made  seven  or  eight  of  his  men 
remain  in  a  beautiful  house,  which  he  had 
occupied,  until  after  the  departure  of  the 
German  savages,  and  by  that  means  pre- 
served it  from  burning. 

The  armies  arrived,  after  several  days' 
march,  at  Vicenza,  where  Chabannes  re- 
ceived letters  from  the  emperor  and  presents 
for  him  and  the  other  French  captains,  ac- 
cording to  the  power  of  that  prince,  who  was 
much  more  generous  than  rich.  He  had 
good  qualities,  but  they  were  obscured  by 
an  essential  defect,  which  affected  his  whole 
life :  he  persisted  in  defying  the  whole  world, 
and  planning  alone,  and  without  advice,  all 
his  enterprises. 

The  armies  separated  at  Vicenza.  The 
Germans  took  the  road  to  their  country,  ex- 
cepting one  garrison,  which  remained  in  the 
town,  commanded  by  the  Lord  of  Reu. 
The  French  army  retired  into  the  Milanais 
on  All  Saints'  Day,  and  Bayard  remained  in 
garrison  at  Verona,  where  he  signalised  him- 
self by  new  exploits  against  the  Venetians, 
who  then  held  a  little  place  in  the  neigh- 


112    Spotless  anfc 


bourhood,  named  Lignago,  whence  they 
made  sallies  into  the  country.  During  his 
sojourn  at  Verona,  where  he  had  only  200 
or  300  French  men-at-arms  in  the  service  of 
the  emperor,  those  who  guarded  Vicenza  for 
that  prince  did  not  believe  themselves  in 
safety.  Besides  that  they  were  weak  them- 
selves, they  were  still  threatened  with  a 
siege.  They  withdrew  to  Verona,  near  the 
knight,  where,  only  finding  a  moderate  gar- 
rison, they  passed  beyond,  and  encamped 
fifteen  or  eighteen  miles  further  off,  at  a  vil- 
lage named  St.  Boniface.  The  winter  began 
to  make  itself  felt,  and  Bayard's  people  were 
obliged  to  leave  their  place  to  find  forage, 
and  sometimes  go  to  a  great  distance,  so 
much  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  have  them 
escorted,  because  from  time  to  time  he  lost 
grooms  and  horses  in  encounters  with  the 
enemy. 

The  Venetians  had  a  brave  and  enterpris- 
ing captain,  who  annoyed  the  French  every 
day  by  making  inroads  to  the  very  gates  of 
Verona.  Bayard  resolved  to  meet  him  and 
moderate  his  ardour.  For  that  reason  he 
wished  himself  to  escort  the  first  foraging 
party,  and  to  see  close  this  Venetian,  named 
John  Paul  Manfroni.  Manfroni,  informed 
of  Bayard's  design  by  a  spy  who  was  near 


Htfe  of  iSaarfc  "3 


him,  wished  to  profit  by  the  occasion,  and 
to  take  sufficient  men  with  him  to  be  the 
stronger  party,  and  give  the  knight  the 
worst  of  it. 

One  day  the  foragers,  having  set  out  from 
Verona,  supported  by  thirty  or  forty  men- 
at-arms  or  archers,  commanded  by  the  Cap- 
tain Pierrepont,  went  toward  the  country 
houses  to  forage.  The  knight,  who  believed 
himself  master  of  his  secret,  was  concealed, 
with  100  men-at-arms,  in  a  village  named 
St.  Martin,  on  the  high  road  from  Verona, 
and  about  six  miles  from  it.  He  sent  scouts 
out  to  reconnoitre,  who  soon  returned  with 
the  news  that  they  had  seen  the  enemy,  to 
the  number  of  500  horse,  drawing  up  right 
where  the  foragers  were.  Manfroni,  warned 
by  his  spy  of  Bayard's  intention,  and  of  the 
number  of  his  men,  had  concealed  50x3  or 
600  men  in  a  deserted  palace,  pikemen  and 
arquebusiers,  and  had  told  them  what  to  do, 
especially  not  to  appear  until  they  saw  him 
fly,  and  the  French  after  him.  He  could 
not  form  his  plans  better  than  to  surround 
them,  and  thus  put  them  between  two  fires. 

As  soon  as  Bayard  learnt  of  the  arrival  of 
the  enemy's  troops,  he  ordered  his  own  to 
horse,  without  being  in  the  least  afraid  of  the 
disproportion.  He  had  not  gone  two  miles 


Spotless  anto 


when  he  discovered  them,  and  marched 
straight  forward  to  charge  them,  crying 
"France!"  and  "Empire!"  They  kept 
firm  a  moment,  but  on  the  approach  of  the 
French  they  pretended  to  retreat,  marching 
backward  toward  the  ambuscade,  which  they 
passed  at  about  100  feet  distant,  always  ap- 
pearing to  defend  themselves;  then  they 
stopped  suddenly,  and  began  crying,  "  Marco  ! 
Marco!"  At  this  signal  the  foot-soldiers 
emerged  from  their  ambuscade  and  fired 
upon  the  French.  Bayard's  horse  was  killed 
at  the  first  discharge,  and  he  fell  heavily, 
with  one  leg  under  the  animal.  Immedi- 
ately his  men-at-arms,  who  would  have  given 
their  lives  to  save  his,  surrounded  him,  and 
one  of  them,  named  Grandmont,  dismounted 
and  disengaged  him.  But  however  good 
their  defence,  they  could  not  hinder  Bayard 
and  Grandmont  from  being  taken  prisoners 
by  some  foot-soldiers,  who  wished  to  deprive 
them  of  their  arms.  Pierrepont,  who  was 
with  the  foragers,  hearing  the  noise,  put  his 
horse  to  the  gallop,  and  arrived  as  the  two 
prisoners  were  already  out  of  the  ranks  to 
be  taken  away.  At  sight  of  this,  fury  seized 
him.  He  fell  like  a  lion  upon  those  who 
guarded  them,  and  by  furious  sword  blows 
obliged  them  to  release  their  prey  and  to  fly 


Htfe  of  ISagarfc 


toward  their  troop,  which  was  engaged  with 
the  French,  and  both  sides  fought  well. 

Bayard  and  Grandmont,  remounted,  ran 
to  the  help  of  their  men,  who  were  sorely 
pressed  both  in  front  and  in  the  rear,  but  at 
the  sight  of  their  captain  and  Pierrepont 
they  regained  courage.  However,  the  in- 
equality was  too  great  ;  the  Venetians  were 
ten  to  one,  without  taking  into  account  the 
inconvenience  that  the  arquebusiers  caused 
the  French.  Bayard  felt  the  danger,  and 
said  to  his  nephew,  Pierrepont:  "Captain, 
if  we  do  not  gain  the  high  road  we  shall 
perish  here,  and  if  we  can  reach  it,  we  shall 
escape  in  spite  of  them,  and,  God  helping 
us,  without  loss."  "  I  think  with  you,"  re- 
plied Pierrepont,  and  they  began  to  retire 
toward  the  high  road,  which  they  finally 
reached  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  fighting 
every  step  of  the  way.  They  had,  however, 
unsaddled  seven  or  eight  horsemen,  and  put 
an  end  to  forty  or  fifty  of  the  foot-soldiers 
without  losing  one  of  their  own  men. 

When  Bayard  and  his  troop  had  gained 
the  high  road  they  formed  a  square,  always 
fighting  as  they  retired,  and  now  and  then 
turning  upon  their  enemies,  to  whom  they 
gave  some  trouble;  but  they  had  on  their 
flank  foot-soldiers,  whose  arquebuses  incon- 


antr  fearless 


venienced  them  much.  The  knight  again 
had  his  horse  wounded  under  him.  Feeling 
it  stagger  he  dismounted,  and  performed 
prodigies  of  valour,  without  any  other  arms 
than  his  sword.  He  was  obliged,  however, 
to  yield  to  numbers.  He  was  already  sur- 
rounded, when  the  bastard  Du  Fay,  his 
standard-bearer,  came  with  his  archers,  and 
fell  upon  the  Venetians  with  so  much  brav- 
ery and  success  that  he  took  him  out  of 
their  hands,  and  remounted  him  in  spite  of 
them.  Then,  again  forming  a  square  squad- 
ron, they  regained  the  high  road  to  the  town 
with  the  honour  of  the  day,  and  that  of  hav- 
ing fought  against  a  number  ten  times  as 
large  as  their  own,  of  having  dismounted  a 
number  of  their  enemies,  and  only  lost  a 
single  man. 

As  the  night  was  coming  on,  Bayard  or- 
dered that  the  charge  should  cease,  and  that 
they  should  retire  toward  St.  Martin,  whence 
they  had  set  out  at  the  commencement  of 
the  day.  He  ordered  a  halt  on  a  bridge  fur- 
nished with  barriers,  to  see  if  they  would 
not  be  followed.  But  the  Captain  Manfroni, 
seeing  that  they  were  out  of  his  reach,  and 
that  they  might  receive  help  from  Verona, 
beat  a  retreat,  and  gave  orders  for  taking 
the  road  to  St.  Boniface.  He  made  the  foot- 


ILife  of  ISagartr  "7 

soldiers  defile  before  him ;  but  they  were 
overcome  with  fatigue,  having  fought  for 
four  or  five  hours  without  pause.  They 
wished  to  remain  at  a  village  four  or  five 
miles  from  St.  Boniface,  in  spite  of  their 
captain,  who  was  forced  to  leave  them  there, 
and  to  continue  his  route  with  his  horse-sol- 
diers. Manfroni  was  in  a  very  ill  temper  at 
the  treatment  they  had  received  at  the  hands 
of  so  small  a  body  of  men. 

Bayard  and  his  troop  passed  the  night  at 
St.  Martin,  where  they  found  plenty  with 
which  to  make  good  cheer,  and  to  make  up 
for  the  fatigue  of  the  day.  They  congratu- 
lated each  other  upon  their  happy  escape 
from  the  danger  in  which  they  had  been 
placed,  and  with  so  little  loss,  only  having 
lost  one  archer  and  four  horses. 

During  the  supper  a  spy  of  Bayard's  ar- 
rived, coming  from  St.  Boniface.  When  he 
was  brought  in  the  knight  asked  him  what 
the  enemy  was  about.  The  spy  replied  that 
they  were  in  great  numbers  at  St.  Boniface, 
and  that  they  boasted  that  soon  they  should 
take  Verona,  by  means  of  the  intelligence 
that  they  had  received.  "  But  as  I  went 
out,"  added  he,  "  the  Captain  Manfroni 
arrived  there,  very  much  fatigued,  and  still 
more  vexed,  for  I  heard  him  say  that  he  had 


118        otless  auto 


come  from  the  skirmish,  where  he  had  been 
fighting  with  devils,  and  not  men.  And  at 
four  or  five  miles  from  here,"  said  the  spy, 
I  passed  through  a  village  full  of  their  foot- 
soldiers,  who  are  staying  there,  and  who 
appeared  to  me  very  much  fatigued."  "  I 
wager  my  head,"  said  Bayard,  "  that  they 
are  those  we  saw  to-day,  and  that  they  are 
so  fatigued  with  their  day's  work  that  they 
have  not  been  able  to  go  farther.  If  you 
are  willing,  comrades,  they  shall  be  ours. 
We  will  have  our  horses  well  fed,  and  to- 
ward four  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  will  go 
by  moonlight  and  wake  them  up.  '  '  All  were 
of  his  opinion,  and  after  having  had  their 
horses  well  groomed,  and  ordered  the  watch, 
every  one  went  to  rest  excepting  Bayard, 
who  never  slept  when  he  had  the  idea  of  an 
expedition  in  his  head.  He  was  on  horse- 
back by  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  with 
his  troop.  Silently  they  took  the  road  to 
the  village  that  the  spy  pointed  out,  and  on 
their  arrival  they  found  neither  watch  nor 
sentinel.  They  began  their  ordinary  cry, 
"  Empire!  France!  To  the  death!  to  the 
death  !  "  The  sleepers  awoke  at  the  noise, 
and  still  half  asleep,  came  out  of  the  houses, 
and  found  outside  men  ready  to  slaughter 
them  like  beasts.  Their  captain  assembled 


Hife  of  iSagarfc  "9 

200  or  300  men,  thinking  they  would  be  able 
to  defend  themselves,  but  his  opponents  did 
not  give  him  time ;  he  was  charged  so  vigor- 
ously that  he  and  two  brothers  only  were 
left  of  all  of  them.  The  two  brothers  were 
exchanged  for  two  French  gentlemen,  pris- 
oners of  the  Republic. 

When  Bayard  had  so  gloriously  ended  this 
double  expedition,  he  thought  he  ought  not 
to  risk  losing  the  fruit  of  it  by  any  check,  so" 
he  returned  to  Verona,  where  he  was  tri- 
umphantly received.  The  Venetians,  on 
the  contrary,  were  enraged  at  the  second 
defeat  of  their  men,  and  the  Proveditore 
Andre  Gritti  wanted  to  lay  the  blame  on  the 
Captain  Manfroni,  who  justified  himself  well, 
but  meditated  having  his  revenge  with  as 
little  delay  as  possible. 


CHAPTER   IX 

SEVEN  or  eight  days  after  the  massacre 
of  the  Venetian  foot-soldiers,  this  Cap- 
tain Manfroni  bargained  with  a  spy,  who 
was  employed  by  Bayard  and  himself — went 
from  one  to  the  other,  and  took  money  from 
both,  and  yet  was  better  affected  toward 
Manfroni  than  Bayard.  Manfroni  thus  in- 
structed him:  "  Go  to  Verona,  and  make 
the  Captain  Bayard  understand  that  the  sen- 
ate has  nominated  the  present  commander 
at  Lignago  to  go  to  the  Levant  with  the 
state  galleys;  that  the  prove"ditore  has  or- 
ders to  send  me  in  his  place  to  Lignago,  and 
that  you  know  for  a  certainty  that  I  shall 
start  for  my  destination  to-morrow  at  day- 
break with  300  light  horse,  and  no  foot-sol- 
diers. I  know  his  high  spirit  too  well  to 
doubt  that  he  will  allow  the  opportunity  to 
escape  of  visiting  me  on  my  journey;  and  if 
he  comes,  I  promise  you  that  the  best  that 
can  happen  to  him  will  be  to  be  taken  pris- 
oner; for  I  shall  put  200  men-at-arms  and 
2,000  foot-soldiers  in  L'Isola  della  Scala,  in 


of  Bagarir 


ambush;  and  if  you  fulfil  my  commission 
well,  I  promise  you,  on  my  honour  as  a 
gentleman,  200  golden  ducats." 

The  spy,  dazzled  by  such  a  large  sum, 
promised  to  do  his  duty,  and  went  to  Verona 
the  same  day.  He  went  straight  to  Bayard's 
quarters,  where  he  was  well  known  to  the 
servants,  who  saw  him  often,  and  believed 
him  faithful  to  their  master.  They  took 
him  to  him  while  he  was  still  at  supper,  and 
he  was  better  received  than  he  deserved. 

4  Vicentin,"   said  Bayard  to  him,  "  you 
do  not  come  for  nothing:  what  news  ?  " 

44  Good  news,  sir,"  he  replied.  At  these 
words  Bayard  left  the  table  and  drew  him 
aside.  The  false  spy  told  him  his  commis- 
sion with  so  much  apparent  faith  that  Bay- 
ard was  as  glad  as  he  could  possibly  be.  He 
ordered  supper  for  his  informant  and  feasted 
him  well ;  then  he  called  the  Captains  Pierre- 
pont,  Du  Fay,  La  Varrenne,  who  then  bore 
his  flag,  and  the  Lord  of  Sucker,  a  Burgun- 
dian  gentleman  who  had  supped  with  them, 
and  told  them  word  for  word  what  he  had 
just  heard  of  the  movements  of  the  Captain 
Manfroni,  that  he  was  to  be  at  Lignago  the 
next  day  with  only  300  horse.  He  asked 
them  if  they  were  in  the  humour  to  follow 
him,  saying  that  the  day  should  not  pass  till 


122    Spotless  anfc 


Manfroni  had  been  well  punished.  Every 
one  being  willing,  they  agreed  at  once  to  set 
out  at  daybreak  with  200  men-at-arms,  and 
sent  word  to  the  Lord  of  Conti  (Frederick 
de  Mailly),  and  made  him  promise  to  be 
ready  by  a  given  time.  He  had  no  thought 
of  refusing;  he  liked  the  business  too  well, 
especially  in  Bayard's  company.  Then  they 
separated  to  get  themselves  ready  to  assem- 
ble in  good  time.  Thus  would  they  have 
gone  blindly  to  destruction  if  Providence 
had  not  saved  them.  The  Lord  of  Sucker, 
who  lodged  at  a  good  distance  from  Bayard, 
returning  to  his  own  quarters,  saw  the  same 
spy  leaving  a  house  which  he  suspected. 
It  was  occupied  by  a  noble  Veronese,  known 
to  be  more  Venetian  than  imperial.  Sucker 
took  the  spy  by  the  collar  and  asked  him 
where  he  had  come  from.  The  spy,  taken 
by  surprise,  excused  himself  so  badly  that 
he  only  increased  the  suspicions  of  his  un- 
faithfulness. The  captain,  without  releas- 
ing his  hold,  returned  to  Bayard,  dragging 
the  spy  with  him.  Our  hero  was  about  to 
retire  for  the  night.  He,  however,  ordered 
the  spy  to  be  put  in  security,  and  then 
Sucker  told  him  what  had  happened  :  that 
he  had  seen  this  man  come  from  the  house 
of  the  Seigneur  Voltege,  the  most  suspected 


Hife  of  iSaarfc  123 


partisan  of  the  republic  in  the  town  ;  that 
in  his  surprise  he  changed  colour,  and  stam- 
mered, and  had  not  been  able  to  justify 
himself. 

Bayard,  on  hearing  this,  did  not  doubt  for 
an  instant  that  treason  was  on  foot.  He 
sent  for  the  spy,  and  asked  him  what  he  had 
been  doing  at  Voltege's  house.  The  coward 
replied  at  first  that  he  had  a  relation  in  the 
house  ;  then  he  gave  another  excuse  ;  finally, 
he  contradicted  himself  five  or  six  times. 
They  brought  handcuffs  to  make  him  explain 
more  clearly,  and  Bayard  had  the  goodness 
to  promise  him,  on  the  faith  of  a  gentleman, 
that  no  harm  should  happen  to  him  although 
he  had  conspired  against  the  knight's  life,  pro- 
vided he  told  the  whole  truth,  but  that  if  he 
did  not  he  should  be  hanged  at  break  of  day. 

The  spy,  seeing  that  he  could  no  longer 
dissimulate,  threw  himself  on  his  knees  be- 
fore the  knight,  and  begged  for  mercy.  Then 
he  confessed  the  plan  of  Captain  Manfroni 
to  surprise  him  in  an  ambuscade  of  200  men- 
at-arms  and  2,000  foot-soldiers  in  L'Isola 
della  Seals;  that  he  had  been  to  Voltege  to 
inform  him  of  it,  and  to  know  of  him  how 
he  could  some  night  give  up  one  of  the  gates 
of  the  town  to  the  Proveditore  Andr£  Gritti, 
and  many  other  things  besides;  but  that 


124         atlegs  antr 


Voltage  had  declared  he  would  enter  into 
no  treason,  and  that  as  the  emperor  had  be- 
come his  master  he  wished  to  keep  faith 
with  him.  When  he  had  finished  his  con- 
fession Bayard  said  to  him  calmly:  "  Vicen- 
tin,  I  have  employed  to  very  bad  purpose 
the  ducats  I  have  given  you,  and  though  I 
have  always  looked  upon  you  as  a  rascal, 
you  are  far  worse  than  I  should  have  be- 
lieved you.  You  richly  deserve  death,  but 
as  I  have  given  you  my  word  that  I  will  not 
take  your  life,  I  will  keep  faith,  and  have 
you  put  in  safety  out  of  the  town  ;  but  be- 
ware of  entering  it  again,  for  the  whole  world 
shall  not  prevent  my  hanging  you  if  you 
do."  At  these  words  he  drove  him  from 
his  presence  and  had  him  shut  up  in  a  room 
to  await  further  orders. 

Bayard,  left  alone  with  the  Captain  Sucker, 
said  to  him  :  '  '  What  can  we  do  to  repay 
Captain  Manfroni  for  the  good  turn  he  in- 
tended us  ?  We  must  have  our  revenge, 
and  if  you  will  do  what  I  tell  you,  believe 
me  we  shall  soon  be  quits  with  him." 

"You  have  only  to  speak,"  replied  the 
captain;  "  I  am  ready  to  do  anything." 

"  Go  then  at  once,"  said  Bayard,  "  to  the 
Prince  of  Anhalt,  present  my  compliments 
to  him,  and  give  him  an  exact  account  of 


Hife  of  tSaarfc  125 


this  affair;  beg  him  to  give  us  2,000  lans- 
quenets to-morrow,  whom  we  will  take  with 
us  to  a  good  place,  and,  if  you  do  not  see 
wonders,  never  believe  me  again." 

The  Captain  Sucker  fulfilled  Bayard's 
commission,  and  the  prince,  who  loved  him,  • 
and  esteemed  his  valour,  granted  his  request 
immediately,  saying  that  Bayard  was  as 
much  master  of  his  troops  as  he  was  himself, 
or  more  so,  and  that  he  wished  he  could  be 
one  of  the  party.  Then  he  sent  his  secre- 
tary with  his  orders  to  four  or  five  captains, 
who  were  ready  with  their  companies  as  soon 
as  those  who  had  been  warned  in  the  evening. 

The  Baron  of  Conti,  who  did  not  know 
what  had  happened,  was  astonished  at  the 
number;  but  when  he  was  informed  of  the 
plot  by  Bayard,  "  On  my  faith,"  said  he, 
"  we  shall  have  a  merry  day's  work." 

The  gates  being  opened,  the  whole  of 
these  troops  took  the  road  to  L'Isola  della 
Scala.  Now,  at  two  miles  from  there,  there 
was  a  village  called  Servoda,  where  the 
knight  put  the  Captain  Sucker  with  the 
2,000  lansquenets  in  ambush,  promising  to 
lead  the  enemy  under  his  very  nose,  and  to 
give  him  an  opportunity  of  acquiring  honour. 
Bayard  and  the  Baron  of  Conti,  with  their 
troop,  marched  straight  to  Isola,  without 


126    g$Qtie$$  antr  jf  earless 

appearing  to  know  who  were  concealed. 
They  were  in  a  beautiful  plain,  very  open, 
where  they  saw  at  a  little  distance  the  Cap- 
tain Manfroni  with  some  light  horse.  Bay- 
ard sent  his  standard-bearer,  the  bastard  Du 
Fay,  with  some  archers,  to  commence  the 
skirmish,  and  followed  him  pretty  closely 
with  his  soldiers.  But  he  soon  saw  emerg- 
ing from  Isola  the  footmen  of  Venice,  with 
a  troop  of  soldiers.  He  affected  fright,  and 
ordered  the  trumpet  to  sound  the  recall. 
Thereupon  Du  Fay,  who  had  his  lesson  by 
heart,  retired  toward  the  main  body  and 
formed  with  it  a  single  square  squadron, 
which,  feigning  to  retire  toward  Verona, 
went  slowly  to  the  village  where  was  the 
ambuscade  of  lansquenets,  to  whom  an 
archer  had  been  already  sent  to  order  them 
to  prepare  for  battle.  The  Venetian  sol- 
diery, supported  by  the  infantry,  charged 
the  French  rudely,  making  a  deafening  noise 
with  instruments,  as  though  they  were  sure 
of  victory.  The  French  on  their  side  did 
not  break,  and  skirmished  prudently  and 
with  precaution  till  they  had  arrived  at  the 
village  of  Servoda.  Then  the  lansquenets 
appeared  in  good  order  at  a  bow-shot  from 
the  cavalry,  and  Bayard  cried  immediately, 
"  Charge!" 


Hife  of  iSagarfc 


The  Venetians,  already  surprised  at  the 
sight  of  the  infantry,  whom  they  did  not 
expect,  were  very  much  more  astonished  at 
the  shock  they  were  obliged  to  receive  from 
the  men-at-arms.  Nevertheless,  they  bore 
it  very  well  at  first,  although  many  of  their 
men  were  cut  down.  The  lansquenets  after- 
ward fell  upon  their  foot-soldiers,  who,  hav- 
ing no  way  of  retreat,  were  cut  to  pieces; 
their  enemies  disdaining  to  take  a  single 
prisoner. 

Manfroni,  witness  of  his  own  defeat,  did 
his  duty  very  well  ;  but  seeing  no  other  re- 
source than  flight,  galloped  furiously  away 
toward  St.  Boniface.  He  was  pursued,  but 
Bayard  ordered  a  retreat,  and  his  whole 
troop  assembled,  having  made  considerable 
booty  and  gained  many  horses.  It  also  had 
taken  prisoners  about  sixty  men-at-arms, 
who  were  led  to  Verona.  The  loss  of  the 
Venetians  was  complete.  Besides  the  pris- 
oners already  mentioned,  twenty-five  men- 
at-arms  were  left  upon  the  field,  and  of  their 
2,000  foot-soldiers  not  one  escaped.  A  tri- 
umphant reception  was  given  to  the  con- 
querors at  Verona.  French,  Burgundians, 
and  lansquenets  shared  the  praise,  their 
companions  only  regretting  that  they  had 
not  been  with  them. 


128    jfcpotlegs  anto 


If  this  day  was  glorious  for  Bayard,  and 
for  all  those  who  took  :part  with  him,  it  was 
still  happier  by  reason  of  the  discovered 
treason,  without  which  discovery  they  would 
all  have  infallibly  perished.  However,  we 
must  render  justice  to  Bayard's  greatness  of 
mind  on  the  two  occasions  that  we  are  about 
to  speak  of.  In  the  first,  Manfroni  attacks 
him  with  500  men,  and  prepares  an  ambus- 
cade of  600  others,  Bayard  only  having  140; 
in  the  second,  the  same  use  of  treason  in 
having  him  told  that  he  should  march  with 
only  300  light  horse,  and  reckoning  well  that 
the  knight  would  not  have  more,  he  prepares 
another  ambuscade,  where  he  puts  2,000 
men,  to  make  sure  of  overwhelming  him. 
The  knight,  on  the  contrary,  will  only  take 
at  first  200  soldiers  to  oppose  the  300  of  the 
enemy,  and  when  he  knows  the  treason,  in- 
stead of  revenging  himself  on  Manfroni  and 
attacking  him  with  superior  forces,  he  con- 
tents himself  with  the  same  number.  This 
is  what  he  practised  during  his  whole  life. 
He  always  had  a  horror  of  treason  and 
traitors,  and  we  shall  see  in  the  course  of 
his  history  that,  after  God,  he  reckoned 
more  on  the  valour  of  his  troops  than  on 
the  superiority  of  their  number.  When 
Bayard  returned  to  his  quarters,  he  had  the 


Uagarfc  I29 


spy  brought  before  him,  and  said  to  him  : 
I  have  given  you  my  word,  and  I  must 
keep  it.  Go  to  the  Venetian  camp  and  ask 
the  Signer  Manfroni  if  Captain  Bayard  has 
done  as  much  as  he;  and  tell  him  from  me 
that  we  will  see  each  other  again  as  soon  as 
he  likes,  at  the  same  price."  That  said, 
he  had  him  taken  out  of  the  town  by  two 
archers.  The  spy  was  fool  enough  to  go 
straight  to  St.  Boniface,  but  he  had  hardly 
arrived  there  when  Manfroni  had  him 
hanged  as  a  traitor,  without  even  hearing 
a  word  he  had  to  say. 

The  winter  suspended  operations.  How- 
ever, the  Venetians,  who  still  held  Lignago, 
and  had  a  good  garrison  there,  often  made 
raids  upon  that  of  Verona,  which  returned 
the  compliment. 

At  the  commencement  of  this  year  (1510), 
that  is  to  say,  immediately  after  Easter,  the 
Duke  of  Nemours,  nephew  of  the  king,  went 
into  Italy.  He  had  with  him  the  illustrious 
Captain  Louis  d'Ars,  of  whom  we  have 
spo.ken  several  times  already.  They  were 
received  in  a  manner  consistent  with  their 
rank  by  the  Grand  Master  of  Chaumont,  gov- 
ernor of  Milan,  and  by  all  the  heads  of  the 
army.  But  no  one  received  more  marks  of 
esteem  and  friendship  than  Bayard,  as  well 


antr 


from  the  prince  (who  had  known  him  for  a 
long  time,  and  who  had  been  informed  of 
his  exploits  since  they  had  met)  as  from 
Louis  d'Ars,  his  first  teacher  in  the  art  of 
fighting.  The  king  sent  an  addition  of  2,000 
lansquenets  and  several  other  captains,  un- 
der the  Lord  of  Molard,  to  join  the  army  in 
Italy. 

The  grand  master  went  to  lay  siege  before 
Lignago,  and  to  cut  off  his  help  and  pro- 
visions, Milau  d'Alegre  was  sent  to  Vicenza 
with  500  men-at-arms,  and  4,000  or  5,000 
lansquenets  of  the  brave  Prince  of  Anhalt, 
who  had  for  his  lieutenant  the  Captain  Jacob 
Emps.  The  place  stood  a  deal  of  cannon- 
ading a  tolerably  long  time  by  a  numerous 
artillery,  to  which  was  added  that  of  the 
Duke  of  Ferrara,  where  was,  among  others, 
a  culverine  of  twenty  feet  long,  which  the 
adventurers  called  the  great  devil.  The  town 
was  taken  at  last,  and  quarter  was  given  to 
none.  Molard  and  his  adventurers  did  won- 
ders, for  they  could  not  wait  till  the  breach 
should  be  of  a  proper  size  to  give  the  assault. 
The  grand  master  placed  La  Cropte-Daillon 
there  as  governor,  and  with  him  100  men- 
at-arms,  of  whom  he  had  the  charge,  under 
the  Marquis  of  Montferrat,  and  1,000  foot- 
soldiers,  commanded  by  the  Captains  Lc 


Hife  of  ISagarir 


H6risson  and  Jacques  Corse,  a  Neapolitan. 
During  the  siege  of  Lignago,  the  grand  mas- 
ter heard  of  the  death  of  his  uncle,  the  Car- 
dinal d'Amboise  He  felt  this  loss  so  much 
that  he  could  never  be  consoled  for  it.  His 
grief  degenerated  into  a  languor,  of  which 
he  died  a  short  time  after,  as  we  shall  men- 
tion in  its  place.  He  was  under  obligations 
to  this  great  man  for  the  dignities  which  he 
enjoyed,  having  become  successively  grand 
master,  marshal,  and  admiral  of  France,  and 
governor  of  the  duchy  of  Milan.  This  grand 
prelate,  to  whom  one  cannot  refuse  praise, 
whenever  there  is  occasion  to  mention  him, 
had  also  done  much  good  to  all  his  house, 
then  very  numerous,  in  the  church,  the 
court,  and  the  camp.  AIT  the  historians  of 
his  time  agree  in  praising  him  for  the  wis- 
dom of  his  ministry,  on  the  possession  of  the 
king's  entire  confidence,  and  upon  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  finances,  which  were 
always  abundant,  without  fresh  taxes  upon 
the  people,  although  Louis  XII.  had  almost 
continual  wars  to  maintain;  finally,  by  his 
scrupulous  disinterestedness,  never  having 
wished  for  more  than  one  benefice.  He  died 
Archbishop  of  Rouen,  where  his  memory  is 
revered  to  the  present  day.  His  death  took 
place,  says  the  historian  Bouchet,  a  short 


'3*    Spotless  anfc 


time   after   the   breaking   of   the   treaty   of 
Cambray. 

The  Grand  Master  of  Chaumont,  his 
nephew,  notwithstanding  his  affliction,  which 
he  tried  to  conceal  as  much  as  he  could,  was 
not  less  watchful  of  the  interests  of  the  king, 
his  master.  Having  then  provided  the  guard 
of  Lignago,  he  went  to  unite  his  troops  to 
those  of  the  emperor,  to  march  against  the 
Venetians,  and  reduce  them.  Four  hundred 
Spanish  and  Neapolitan  men-at-arms  had 
newly  arrived  to  the  assistance  of  the  em- 
peror. They  were  the  finest  troops  one 
could  see,  under  the  orders  of  the  Duke  of 
Termes.1  They  put  them  in  garrison  at 
Verona  to  refresh  them.  The  two  armies 
went  to  camp  at  a  town  named  Sainte  Croix, 
where  they  stopped  to  await  the  emperor, 
who  was  expected  ;  but  they  waited  in  vain. 

When  they  left  the  camp  of  Sainte  Croix 
to  go  to  Montselles  that  the  Venetians  had 
retaken,  a  very  unfortunate  event  happened 
which  deserves  to  be  recorded. 

Near   Longara   there   is   a   mountain,    in  , 
which  there  is  a  natural  cavern,  more  than 
a  mile  in  length.      The  inhabitants  of  the 

1  1  have  not  been  able  to  discover  (says  M.  de  Berville)  who 
the  Duke  of  Termes  was  at  the  period  of  which  we  are  writing. 
There  must  certainly  be  an  error  in  the  original  history. 


Etfe  of  iSaariJ  133 


low  country,  frightened  at  the  war,  had 
taken  refuge  there,  to  the  number  of  2,000 
persons,  men  and  women,  gentle  and  sim- 
ple, with  their  goods  and  a  quantity  of  pro- 
visions. They  had  some  firearms  with  which 
to  defend  the  entrance  in  case  of  attack,  and 
this  entrance  was  so  narrow  that  only  one 
man  at  a  time  could  pass  through  it. 

The  adventurers,  plunderers,  of  whom  the 
most  cowardly  are  generally  foremost,  dis- 
covered this  cave.  They  wished  to  enter, 
but  they  begged  them  not  to  do  so,  because, 
said  they,  those  who  were  within  having  left 
their  goods  in  their  houses,  there  was  no 
booty  to  be  obtained.  The  adventurers 
thought  this  advice  was  only  given  them  to 
turn  them  from  the  project  they  had  formed 
of  penetrating  into  the  cave,  and  because 
there  was  undoubtedly  some  good  capture 
to  make;  that  is  why  they  determined  to 
force  an  entrance;  but  they  fired  on  them 
from  the  cavern,  and  killed  two.  The  others 
were  intimidated  by  this  unexpected  event, 
and  dared  not  undertake  a  fresh  attempt. 
They  despatched  some  among  them  to  call 
their  comrades,  who  hastened  to  the  spot, 
following  their  custom  of  being  more  dili- 
gent in  the  performance  of  a  bad  than  a 
good  action.  When  these  villains  saw  that 


Spotless  anir 


they  could  not  enter  by  force,  they  revenged 
themselves  cruelly.  They  raised  a  pile  of 
wood,  hay,  and  straw  before  the  mouth  of 
the  cave  and  set  fire  to  it.  In  a  moment 
such  a  stifling  smoke  arose  that  the  cave  was 
full  of  it,  and  the  air  only  entering  by  this 
opening,  all  its  occupants  were  suffocated 
before  the  fire  had  touched  one  of  them. 

Among  these  unhappy  victims  a  number 
of  gentlemen  and  ladies  were  found,  although 
dead,  as  if  asleep,  and  not  in  the  least  dis- 
figured. When  the  smoke  had  dispersed, 
the  adventurers  entered,  and  made  immense 
booty.  Their  barbarity  horrified  the  grand 
master  and  all  the  heads  of  the  army. 

But  Bayard,  who  was  a  sworn  enemy  to 
such  expeditions,  had  no  rest  till  he  had  laid 
hands  on  some  of  these  brigands.  Two  of 
them  fell  into  his  hands,  one  man  with  one 
ear,  and  the  other  with  none.  He  made 
strict  inquiries  into  their  mode  of  life,  and 
found  more  than  was  necessary  for  their 
deliverance  to  the  provost,  who  had  them 
hanged  before  the  entrance  to  the  grotto,  in 
presence  of  Bayard,  who  wished  to  be  a  wit- 
ness of  their  punishment. 

While  the  execution  was  taking  place,  a 
kind  of  phantom  issued  from  the  cave,  a 
child  of  fifteen  years,  yellowed  by  smoke, 


Hit*  ot 


and  more  dead  than  alive.  He  was  taken 
to  the  knight,  who  asked  him  by  what  mir- 
acle he  had  escaped.  The  child  answered 
that  when  he  saw  the  horrible  smoke,  he 
fled  to  the  farthest  extremity  of  the  cavern, 
where  he  had  observed  the  rock  broken  up 
above,  and  that  thence  he  had  received  a 
little  air.  He  related  also  a  very  deplorable 
circumstance,  which  was  that  some  gentle- 
men and  their  wives,  having  seen  the  prepa- 
rations for  the  burning,  had  wished  to  go 
out,  at  the  risk  of  perishing  outside,  rather 
than  remain  within;  but  that  the  peasants 
shut  up  with  them,  and  who  formed  the 
stronger  and  the  larger  number,  had  pre- 
vented them  with  pikes  and  other  arms, 
saying,  "  As  we  must  perish  here,  you 
shall  also  remain." 

We  have  seen  that  from  Sainte  Croix  the 
armies  turned  towards  Montselle,  that  the 
Venetians  had  retaken.  They  had  fortified 
it,  and  placed  there  a  garrison  of  i,oooor 
1,200  men.  On  the  road,  Bayard,  D'Alegre, 
and  the  Lord  Mercure,  an  Albanian  captain 
in  the  service  of  the  emperor,  met  a  troop 
of  light  horse  in  the  service  of  the  Republic, 
whom  they  called  Creates  (the  troop  of 
Croatia),  more  Turk  than  Christian,  and 
noted  for  plunder.  They  were  coming  to 


Spotless  antr 


see  if  there  was  anything  to  be  done,  and 
booty  to  be  gained  ;  but  all  the  good  they 
got  by  their  expedition  was  to  be  left  nearly 
all  dead  on  the  field  or  prisoners.  Amongst 
these  was  a  cousin  of  that  Lord  Mercure, 
and  his  greatest  enemy,  who  had  unjustly 
despoiled  him  of  all  his  goods  in  Croatia, 
their  native  country.  They  recognized  each 
other,  and  the  conqueror,  remembering  all 
the  ill  the  other  had  done  him,  refused  to  ran- 
som or  exchange  him,  although  he  remon- 
strated with  him  that,  as  he  was  a  prisoner 
of  war,  he  ought  to  enjoy  the  common 
right  of  ransom,  and  he  offered  him  6,000 
ducats  and  six  Turkish  horses  of  admirable 
beauty. 

'  We  will  speak  of  that  at  our  leisure," 
said  Mercure;  "  but  in  good  faith,  if  I  were 
in  your  power,  as  you  are  in  mine,  what 
would  you  do  with  me  ?" 

"  As  you  press  me  so  much,"  replied  the 
other,  "  I  declare  to  you  that  if  you  were  in 
my  power,  as  I  am  in  yours,  all  the  gold  in 
the  world  should  not  hinder  me  from  cut- 
ting you  to  pieces." 

"  Truly,"  said  Mercure,  "  I  have  no  de- 
sire to  serve  you  worse." 

At  that  moment  he  ordered  his  Albanians 
to  sabre  him  and  his  Creates,  which  was  so 


Htfe  of  iSa;gar& 


promptly  and  so  well  executed  that  there 
was  neither  captain  nor  man  who  did  not 
receive  ten  superfluous  strokes.  Afterwards 
they  cut  all  their  heads  off,  and  bore  them 
in  triumph  at  the  end  of  their  pikes,  after 
the  manner  of  the  Turks.  These  Croates 
wore  a  singular  dress;  amongst  other  things, 
they  had  their  heads  covered  with  a  bonnet 
made  of  many  sheets  of  paper  pasted  to- 
gether, impenetrable  to  the  sword. 

Montselles  was  besieged  and  cannonaded 
for  four  or  five  days.  It  was  so  well  forti- 
fied that  it  would  never  have  been  taken 
without  the  indiscreet  and  too  frequent  sal- 
lies of  the  garrison,  which  came  sometimes 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  fort  against 
the  French  adventurers,  who  only  wanted 
to  go  and  see  what  was  going  on  in  the 
place.  One  day  Captain  Molard's  men  went 
with  a  gentleman  named  the  Baron  of  Mont- 
faucon  to  skirmish  with  the  men  in  the 
castle,  who  received  them  gallantly,  and  re- 
pulsed them  two  or  three  times  with  loss, 
but  who  finally  followed  them  too  far,  so 
that,  when  they  wished  to  retire,  they  were 
so  fatigued  that  they  could  hardly  drag 
themselves  along.  When  the  rest  of  the 
garrison  saw  that  all  was  lost,  they  retired 
into  a  large  tower,  where  they  were  besieged  ; 


anfc 


and  as  they  would  not  give  themselves  up, 
they  set  fire  to  the  foot,  and  the  greater 
part  allowed  themselves  to  be  burnt  rather 
than  to  be  taken  prisoners;  others  jumped 
out  of  the  windows,  and  were  received  on 
the  point  of  their  pikes.  Finally  almost  all 
perished.  On  the  French  side  a  gentleman 
named  Camican  was  killed,  and  the  Baron 
of  Montfaucon  was  severely  wounded  ;  how- 
ever, he  recovered,  but  with  much  difficulty. 


CHAPTER   X 

THE  town  of  Montselles  having  been 
taken,  they  increased  the  fortifica- 
tions, and  put  a  strong  garrison  there,  with 
the  design  of  going  immediately  to  lay  siege 
to  Padua. 

While  these  plans  were  in  progress,  they 
heard  that  the  pope,  Julius  II.,  had  declared 
war  against  the  Duke  of  Ferrara,  an  ally  of 
the  king,  to  whom  this  prince  had  written  to 
obtain  help.  The  king  granted  it  him,  and 
gave  orders  to  the  grand  master,  his  lieuten- 
ant-general, to  help  the  duke.  Chaumont, 
in  consequence,  sent  him  a  detachment  of 
4,000  men,  under  the  orders  of  the  Lords  of 
Clermont,  Montoison,  de  Fontrailles,  du 
Lude,  and  Bayard.  Added  to  these  were 
800  Swiss,  newly  arrived  in  the  army  as  ad- 
venturers, commanded  by  a  captain  of  their 
nation,  named  Jacob  Zemberz.  These  offi- 
cers and  their  troops  were  received  with 
much  joy  by  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Fer- 
rara and  their  subjects. 

Before  speaking  of  the  war  between  the 


g>potless  anir 


pope  and  the  Duke  of  Ferrara,  it  will  be 
well  in  this  place  to  give  an  account  of  a 
check  that  a  party  of  French  received  through 
the  treachery  of  a  spy.  La  Cropte-Daillon 
was  hardly  in  possession  of  his  government 
of  Lignago,  when  he  fell  dangerously  ill. 
He  had  with  him  a  great  number  of  gentle- 
men volunteers.  One  amongst  them  was 
named  Guyon  de  Cantiers,  braver  and  more 
venturesome  than  prudent.  The  Venetians 
made  incursions  even  to  the  gates  of  the 
town;  but  the  soldiers  of  the  garrison,  who 
only  had  orders  to  guard  it,  dared  not  go 
out.  Guyon  de  Cantiers  had  made  acquaint- 
ance with  the  gentlemen  of  the  town  of 
Montagnane,  at  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  from 
Lignago,  who  supplied  him  with  spies.  One 
of  them  often  came  to  see  this  officer  in  gar- 
rison, and  assured  him  one  day  that,  if  he 
could  go  out  with  a  small  number  of  horse 
and  foot  soldiers,  he  would  provide  him  with 
the  means  of  carrying  off  the  prov^ditore, 
Andr6  Gritti,  who  often  came  to  Monta- 
gnane with  two  or  three  hundred  light  horse. 
He  promised  to  give  him  notice  of  the  best 
day  for  the  occasion,  and  to  show  him  an 
ambuscade,  where  he  could  place  himself  in 
the  morning,  and  whence  he  could  assuredly 
carry  off  the  proveditore,  and  immediately 


Hlfe  of  13asar& 


afterwards  take  the  town,  where  there  was 
plenty  of  plunder  to  be  had.  Cantiers,  who 
was  no  less  eager  to  signalize  himself  by  an 
exploit  than  to  take  possession  of  this 
booty,  promised  to  act  as  the  spy  directed, 
and  charged  him  to  warn  him  of  the  exact 
time. 

This  traitor,  having  returned  to  Monta- 
gnane,  told  the  commander  of  his  agreement 
with  Cantiers,  and  promised  to  give  him  up 
a  party  from  the  garrison  of  Lignago,  and 
to  give  him  the  power  of  retaking  the  place 
even,  which  was  of  consequence  to  the  Ven- 
etian senate.  The  commander  thought  of 
the  project,  and  by  an  express  informed  the 
proveditore  of  it,  who  immediately  sent  300 
men-at-arms,  800  light  horse,  and  2,000  foot- 
soldiers. 

The  very  same  day  the  spy  returned  to 
Cantiers,  who  was  charmed  to  see  him,  and 
asked  him  what  news  he  brought.  "  Very 
good  for  you,  if  you  will  profit  by  it,"  he 
answered  in  a  confident  tone.  '  The  prove- 
ditore arrives  this  evening  in  our  town  with 
only  100  horse.  If  you  will  be  in  the  coun- 
try to-morrow  before  day,  I  will  give  him  up 
to  you."  Cantiers,  transported  with  joy, 
ran  to  announce  this  news  to  his  compan- 
ions, amongst  others  to  a  gentleman  who 


142    Spotless  anto 


was  their  standard-bearer,  named  young 
Malherbe.  Every  one  wished  to  take  part 
in  the  expedition  ;  but  to  do  so  the  permis- 
sion of  the  commander,  La  Cropte-Daillon, 
was  necessary,  who,  being  still  ill,  kept  his 
room.  Cantiers  and  Malherbe  went  to  ask 
him,  and  related  the  enterprise  as  the  most 
glorious  and  advantageous  in  the  world.  La 
Cropte  was  too  wise  to  profit  by  their  advice 
at  first.  "  You  know,"  said  he,  "  that  the 
place  has  been  confided  to  me  alone  on  my 
life  and  honour,  to  keep  it.  If  any  misfor- 
tune happened  to  you,  I  should  be  a  dishon- 
oured man,  and  I  should  die  of  grief,  so  I 
cannot  allow  you  to  adopt  this  plan."  They 
insisted  more  strongly  than  before,  assuring 
him  that  their  spy  was  a  safe  man  ;  finally 
they  said  so  much  to  him  that  rather  by 
force  or  importunity  than  of  his  own  good 
will  he  gave  them  leave. 

The  prov£ditore  had  sent  as  ambuscade, 
at  two  or  three  miles  round  Montagnane, 
200  men-at-arms  and  1,000  foot-soldiers, 
with  orders  to  let  pass  all  that  went  out  from 
Lignago,  and  to  cut  off  the  passage  from  be- 
hind, which  plan  was  only  too  well  carried 
out  for  the  unfortunate  Cantiers  and  his 
companions. 

These,  who  would  have  taken  permission 


Hife  of 


themselves  if  their  commander  had  refused 
it,  gave  notice  to  their  troop  of  the  hour 
when  it  would  be  necessary  to  be  on  horse- 
back, to  the  number  of  fifty  men-at-arms, 
under  the  orders  of  Malherbe,  and  300  foot- 
soldiers,  led  by  Cantiers,  and  they  set  out 
from  Lignago  just  before  two  o'clock,  guided 
by  their  faithless  spy,  who  led  them  to 
butchery. 

They  followed  the  high  road  from  Lignago 
to  Montagnane,  the  foot-soldiers  before, 
and  the  cavalry  forming  the  wing,  passed 
without  challenge  a  little  village,  where  the 
first  ambuscade  was,  and  advanced  to  within 
a  mile  of  the  town.  There  the  spy  left  them, 
to  go,  as  he  said,  to  see  what  was  going  on 
at  Montagnane.  They  let  him  go  ;  but  they 
might  better  have  killed  him,  for  he  went 
straight  to  the  prov^ditore,  and  said  to  him, 
"  I  have  brought  you  the  best  part  of  the 
garrison  of  Lignago  with  the  rope  round 
their  necks,  and,  if  you  like,  not  one  of 
them  can  escape  you.  They  are  at  about  a 
mile  from  here,  and  less  than  that  from  the 
ambuscade."  Gritti  was  soon  on  horseback 
with  all  his  men,  and  sent  200  horse  forward 
to  skirmish.  The  French  were  full  of  joy, 
thinking  that  the  prov£ditore  was  in  this 
first  party,  and  that  they  were  going  to  cap- 


144    ^potiess  anli  ^fearless 

ture  him.  They  charged  the  company  vig- 
orously, but  the  men  turned  and  fled  towards 
the  chief  ambuscade.  Then  the  great  secret 
was  explained,  and  the  French,  greatly  as- 
tonished, returned  to  their  foot-soldiers,  and 
said  to  them,  "  We  are  lost;  they  are  more 
than  3,000;  we  must  try  to  save  ourselves." 
The  Venetians  followed  closely  on  their 
heels,  crying,  "  Marco!  Slaughter!" 

The  French,  seeing  the  danger,  put  their 
foot-soldiers  in  front,  and  the  cavalry  be- 
hind, to  support  them,  and  in  this  manner 
retreated,  without  loss,  to  the  village  where 
the  first  Venetian  ambuscade  was.  These 
showed  themselves  immediately  at  the  sound 
of  the  trumpet,  in  the  order  that  they  were, 
and  shut  out  the  road  to  Lignago  from  the 
French,  who  found  themselves  surrounded 
by  a  number  ten  times  as  large  as  their  own. 
However,  they  defended  themselves  like 
lions,  and  occupied  this  great  number  more 
than  four  hours  without  being  broken.  Then 
Gritti  sent  his  cross-bowmen  to  attack  the 
foot-soldiers  on  the  flank,  which  soon  scat- 
tered them,  but  did  not  hinder  them  from 
retiring  to  within  four  miles  from  their  place. 
Finally  attacked  on  all  sides,  their  men-at- 
arms  dismounted,  the  greater  part  of  their 
horses  slain,  and  only  one  to  ten  of  their  ad- 


Hife  of 


versaries,  they  were  obliged  to  yield,  and  in 
such  a  manner  that  out  of  three  hundred 
not  one  was  left.  Cantiers,  their  captain, 
seeing  that  all  was  lost,  threw  himself  upon 
the  enemy,  and  slew  six  with  his  own  hand 
before  he  perished  himself.  Malherbe  con- 
tinued an  hour  longer  with  his  men-at-arms, 
and  was  at  last  made  prisoner  with  twenty- 
five  of  his  men  ;  all  the  rest  were  slain.  Not 
one  man  remained  to  carry  the  news  to 
Lignago. 

The  Prov^ditore  Gritti,  seeing  that  his 
victory  was  so  complete,  thought  of  a  strat- 
agem to  surprise  Lignago.  He  had  all  the 
dead  Frenchmen  stripped,  and  their  dress 
put  upon  as  many  of  his  own  soldiers,  both 
foot  and  horse.  Then  he  gave  them  120  of 
his  men  to  lead  as  prisoners,  with  three  fal- 
coners that  the  French  had  brought,  and  he 
ordered  them  to  go  to  the  town,  and  to  cry 
on  arriving,  '  '  France  !  France  !  Victory  !  Vic- 
tory!" 'Those  in  the  town,"  said  he, 
"  will  think  their  own  men  have  arrived  vic- 
torious ;  and  to  deceive  them  better,  carry 
their  standards  with  some  of  ours,  as  if  you 
had  gained  them.  They  will  certainly  open 
the  gate  to  you,  and  you  can  seize  it.  I 
shall  march  at  a  bowshot  from  you,  and  join 
you  at  the  first  sound  of  the  trumpet.  If 


146         otiess  anto 


you  play  your  parts  well,  Lignago  will  be 
ours  in  the  day,  and  you  know  of  what  im- 
portance it  is  to  the  Republic." 

This  order  was  perfectly  executed.  The 
Venetians  approached  the  place  to  the  sound 
of  trumpets  and  clarions,  and  began  crying, 
'Victory!"  La  Cropte  had  a  lieutenant 
named  Bernard  de  Villars,  a  man  of  quality, 
an  old  and  experienced  soldier,  who,  seeing 
this  triumphant  troop  approach,  went  up  to 
the  donjon  of  the  gate  to  reconnoitre  it.  He 
suspected  the  marching  and  the  countenances 
of  both  the  foot  and  horse  soldiers.  '  '  These 
are  the  dresses  and  horses  of  our  men," 
said  he;  "  but  they  are  not  mounted  in  the 
French  fashion  ;  they  do  not  manage  their 
horses  as  we  do.  My  heart  tells  me  that 
our  men  have  met  with  some  misfortune, 
and  that  this  is  only  a  stratagem."  Under 
this  idea  he  sent  a  man  to  have  the  draw- 
bridge lowered  and  raised  again.  "If  these 
are  our  men,"  said  he,  "  you  will  recognise 
them  ;  if  not,  save  yourself  behind  the  bar- 
rier. I  have  two  pieces  of  loaded  cannon 
with  which  I  shall  receive  them."  The  sol- 
dier executed  the  order.  He  went  out  of 
the  place  to  reconnoitre  the  troop,  and  cried, 
"  Who  goes  there  ?  Where  is  Captain  Mal- 
herbe?"  None  answered  ;  but  the  enemy, 


Eife  of  iSaattr  147 


thinking  that  the  bridge  would  be  down, 
spurred  their  horses.  The  soldier  gained  the 
barrier  in  haste;  then  they  discharged  the 
two  pieces  of  cannon,  which  stopped  the  as- 
tonished troop,  and  made  them  turn  back. 
Thus  the  place  was  saved  ;  but  the  day  had 
been  only  too  unfortunate. 

When  Daillon  learnt  this  news  he  thought 
he  should  have  died  of  grief.  The  king  was 
near  bringing  him  to  trial,  but  Marshal  Tri- 
vulce  appeased  him.  He  was  then  at  the 
court  to  stand  godfather  to  Madame  Renee, 
second  daughter  of  the  king,  and  as  he  knew 
Daillon  to  be  a  good  officer,  he  justified  him, 
and  obtained  his  pardon. 

But  we  must  resume  the  account  of  the 
war  declared  against  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  by 
the  pope,  which  we  interrupted  to  relate 
this  occurrence. 


CHAPTER   XI 

IN  1511,  Julius  II.,  claiming  the  Duchy  of 
Ferrara  as  a  possession  of  the  Holy  See, 
and  wishing  to  reunite  it,  raised  an  army  in 
the  Bologna,  and  to  carry  it  through  this 
duchy  he  took  it  to  a  town  named  Santo 
Felice,  between  Concordia  and  La  Mirandola. 
The  duke  on  his  side,  and  the  French  whom 
he  had  with  him,  had  come  to  lodge  at 
twelve  miles  from  Ferrara,  between  the  two 
branches  of  the  Po,  at  a  place  called  the 
Ospitaletto,  and  they  made  a  bridge  of 
boats,  upon  which  they  put  a  strong  guard, 
and  by  this  bridge  they  made  frequent  skir- 
mishes. 

When  the  pope  had  arrived  at  Santo 
Felice,  he  sent  a  haughty  message  to  the 
Countess  of  La  Mirandola,  desiring  her  to 
return  the  town  to  him,  because  it  was  nec- 
essary for  his  expedition  to  Ferrara.  This 
lady,  who  was  a  natural  daughter  of  Marshal 
Trivulce,  of  whom  we  have  just  spoken,  was 
the  widow  of  Louis-Marie  Picot.1  Like  her 

1  The  Loyal  Servant  says  "  natural  daughter  to  the  Lord 
John  James  of  Trivulce,  and  then  a  widow." 


Htfe  of  iSagarfc 


father's,  her  heart  was  entirely  French  ;  and 
as  she  had  been  informed  that  the  Duke  of 
Ferrara  was  an  ally  of  France,  and  that  the 
king  sent  aid  to  him,  she  would  not,  at  the 
risk  of  her  life,  have  given  up  her  town  to 
the  pope.  She  had  with  her  at  the  time 
her  cousin-german,  the  Count  Alexander 
Trivulce,  with  whom  she  planned  the  an- 
swer that  she  should  return  to  the  holy 
father's  message.  She  told  the  deputy  to 
return,  and  tell  his  master  that  the  coun- 
tess would  not  give  up  her  town  at  any  price 
whatever;  that  God  had  made  her  lady  and 
mistress  of  it,  and  she  knew  how  to  guard  it 
against  whoever  wished  to  wrest  it  from  her. 
The  pope,  irritated  to  the  last  degree  by 
this  answer,  swore  by  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul 
that  he  would  make  himself  master  of  it  by 
fair  or  foul  means,  and  he  ordered  his  nephew, 
and  captain-general  of  his  army,  the  Duke 
of  Urbino,  to  prepare  himself  at  once  to  be- 
siege it  the  next  day.  The  Count  Alexan- 
der, who  had  expected  this,  sent  in  all  haste 
to  acquaint  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  and  the 
French  generals  at  La  Mirandola  with  what 
had  happened.  He  told  them  that,  not 
having  enough  soldiers  to  defend  the  town, 
he  begged  them  to  send  them  a  hundred 
brave  men  and  two  chief  artillerymen.  The 


is°    Spotless  anfc 


keeping  of  La  Mirandola  interested  the  Duke 
of  Ferrara  '  so  much  that  he  immediately  sent 
the  required  help. 

With  the  100  men  and  the  two  artillerists 
set  out  as  volunteers  two  French  gentlemen, 
the  Lords  of  Montchenu  a  and  of  Chante- 
merle;  the  first  a  native  of  Dauphiny, 
nephew  of  the  illustrious  Montoison,  and 
the  other  from  Beausse,  a  nephew  of  the 
Lord  of  Lude.  On  their  leaving,  Bayard 
exhorted  them  to  signalize  themselves,  and 
to  get  themselves  a  name.  "  The  place  you 
are  going  to,"  said  he,  "  is  well  fortified  and 
strong,  and  you  are  going  to  fight  in  the 
service  of  a  lady  ;  you  ought  to  make  your- 
selves worthy  of  her  good  graces;  and  if  the 
place  is  besieged  you  will  have  the  honour 
of  keeping  it  for  her." 

After  other  encouraging  words,  he  es- 
corted his  company  on  horseback  to  the 
town,  and  saw  them  enter  it.  They  were 

1  This  duke  was  named  Alphonse  I.,  son  of  Hercules  I.  He 
was  a  great  captain,  wise  and  vigilant  in  war,  and  a  good  poli- 
tician. He  was  a  man  learned  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  he 
was  especially  noted  for  his  skill  in  engineering  and  mathematics, 
even  to  the  extent  of  the  casting  of  artillery,  and  the  construc- 
tion of  gun  carriages. 

8  Marin  de  Montchenu,  the  favourite  of  Francis  I.  and  after- 
wards first  steward  of  his  household.  He  followed  this  prince 
(not  because  he  was  a  prisoner,  but  simply  on  account  of  his 
attachment)  in  his  captivity  at  Madrid,  after  the  fatal  battle  of 
Pavia. 


Htfe  of  Bagartr 


received  by  the  lady  and  the  count  with  all 
possible  joy  and  honours.  Three  days  after, 
the  place  was  besieged.  The  artillery  was 
planted  on  the  borders  of  the  ditch,  and  fired 
without  intermission  ;  while  that  of  the  town 
answered  in  like  manner,  and  the  besieged 
did  not  appear  afraid  of  the  pope's  forces. 

Bayard,  who  had  spies  everywhere,  and 
was  well  served  because  he  paid  well,  knew 
every  day  exactly  what  was  passing  at 
Santo  Felice  in  the  pope's  camp.  One  of 
these  spies  having  informed  him  that  the 
pope  intended  to  set  out  shortly  to  come 
and  command  the  siege  of  La  Mirandola  in 
person,  he  sent  him  back  to  find  out  the 
precise  time  at  which  he  would  start.  The 
spy  returned,  and  told  him  that  it  would  be 
on  the  morning  of  the  next  day. 

The  good  knight,  without  fail,  without 
fear,  and  without  reproach,  charmed  at  this 
news,  determined  to  make  a  bold  stroke, 
and  carry  off  the  pope  and  all  his  court. 

He  went  to  the  Duke  of  Ferrara's,  where 
he  found  the  Lord  of  Montoison.  "  I  am 
informed,"  he  told  them,  "  that  to-morrow 
the  pope  leaves  his  camp  at  Santo  Felice,  to 
go  to  that  of  La  Mirandola,  six  miles  dis- 
tant. I  have  a  plan  that  I  have  come  to 
propose  to  you,  and  if  you  agree  to  it,  it 


Spotless  auto 


will  be  talked  of  a  hundred  years  hence.  It 
is  this:  at  two  miles  from  Santo  Felice  I 
know  of  two  or  three  large  palaces,  aban- 
doned on  account  of  the  war.  With  100 
men-at-arms  of  my  choice,  I  will  place  my- 
self in  ambush  in  one  of  these  palaces,  and 
to-morrow  morning,  when  the  pope  leaves, 
carry  him  off.  I  know  that  he  will  only  be 
escorted  by  some  cardinals,  some  bishops 
and  prothonotaries,  with  100  men  of  his 
guard;  so  before  the  alarm  shall  have 
reached  his  camp,  I  will  bring  him  here  to 
you.  But  to  help  me,  in  case  of  accident, 
it  will  be  necessary,  my  lord,"  he  said,  turn- 
ing to  the  duke,  "  that  you  and  the  Lord  of 
Montoison  should  cross  the  bridge  at  break 
of  day  with  the  rest  of  the  soldiery,  and  that 
you  should  advance  to  four  or  five  miles 
from  here."  This  plan  was  approved  of; 
there  was  nothing  now  but  to  put  it  in  exe- 
cution, which  was  not  delayed  a  moment, 
for  Bayard,  having  taken  his  100  picked 
men,  put  them  in  battle  order,  as  if  they 
were  marching  to  an  action,  and  in  this  man- 
ner they  travelled  all  night,  having  the  spy 
for  a  guide.  He  had  the  good  fortune  to  be 
lodged  in  one  of  the  palaces  before  day, 
without  having  been  met  or  discovered  by 
man  or  woman. 


CHAPTER   XII 

AT  daybreak  the  pope  got  into  a  litter, 
and  took  the  road  to  his  camp  at  La 
Mirandola.  His  prothonotaries,  secretaries, 
and  other  household  officers  had  set  out  be- 
fore him  to  prepare  his  apartments.  When 
Bayard  saw  this  cortege  he  fell  upon  it  with- 
out loss  of  time,  but  they  drew  bridle,  and 
ran  as  fast  as  all  their  legs  could  carry  them, 
to  take  the  alarm  to  Santo  Felice.  That 
was  not  what  saved  the  pope,  however;  for- 
tunately for  him,  as  soon  as  he  had  entered 
his  litter,  and  before  he  was  a  hundred  steps 
from  Santo  Felice,  it  snowed  so  heavily  that 
the  Cardinal  of  Pavia  (Felix  Alidosi),  his 
prime  minister,  represented  to  him  that  the 
severity  of  the  weather  would  not  allow  of 
the  journey,  and  advised  him  to  return,  to 
which  the  pope  consented. 

As  bad  luck  would  have  it,  the  fugitives 
arrived  disconcerted  and  out  of  breath  just 
as  the  pope  reached  the  castle,  and  the  good 
knight  Bayard  the  town ;  for  the  latter, 


Spotless  antr 


only  desiring  one  object,  did  not  stop  to 
amuse  himself  with  taking  other  prisoners. 

The  pope  was  so  frightened  at  their  cries 
that  he  jumped  out  of  his  litter  without  as- 
sistance, and  himself  helped  to  raise  the 
bridge.  There  was  no  time  to  lose,  for  in 
an  instant  later  he  would  have  been  caught 
up  and  taken  prisoner. 

However  mortified  Bayard  might  be  at 
this  mishap,  he  had  no  other  plan  but  to 
return.  He  knew,  however,  that  the  castle 
was  worth  nothing,  and  that  he  should  have 
it  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour;  but  having  no 
artillery,  and  no  time  to  send  for  it,  he  was 
fearful  that  the  alarm  taken  to  the  camp  of 
La  Mirandola  should  result  in  assistance  to 
the  pope,  help  that  he  did  not  think  it  nec- 
essary to  wait  for.  So  he  took  the  road  to 
Ferrara  with  as  many  prisoners  as  he  chose, 
amongst  which  were  two  bishops,  and  a 
great  number  of  baggage  mules,  which  last 
his  soldiers  had  the  benefit  of.  Bayard  was 
inconsolable  at  the  failure  of  this  well-laid 
plan.  The  Dukes  of  Ferrara  and  Montoison, 
whom  he  found  at  the  appointed  meeting- 
place  with  their  escort,  were  not  less  grieved 
when  he  gave  them  his  account  of  it.  How- 
ever, they  showed  him  that  the  evil  was 
without  remedy;  that  his  plan  was  admira- 


of  iSaarfc  155 


ble,  and  that  chance  alone  had  hindered  its 
success.  They  led  him  back  with  them  to 
the  camp,  and  on  the  way  they  sent  back 
several  of  their  prisoners  on  foot,  and  after- 
wards liberated  the  two  bishops  for  a  mod- 
erate ransom. 

The  pope  was  so  much  frightened  at  the 
danger  he  had  run,  that  he  shook  as  if  he 
had  the  ague  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  the 
following  night  he  sent  a  special  messenger 
to  fetch  his  nephew,  the  Duke  of  Urbino, 
who  joined  him  with  400  men-at-arms  to 
conduct  him  to  the  camp  at  La  Mirandola. 
When  he  was  there  he  carried  on  the  siege 
so  vigorously  that  the  place  was  forced  to 
give  up.  The  same  luck  which  had  left  him 
his  liberty  rendered  him  master  of  it,  for 
during  the  siege  the  snow  fell  for  six  suc- 
cessive days  and  nights,  and  so  abundantly 
that  it  lay  on  the  ground  within  the  camp 
to  the  height  of  a  man.  To  the  snow  suc- 
ceeded such  a  severe  frost  that  the  moats 
of  La  Mirandola  were  two  feet  thick  in  ice, 
and  a  cannon  with  its  carriage,  which  fell 
upon  it,  could  not  break  it. 

The  pope's  artillery  had  already  made  two 
wide  breaches,  so  that  the  countess  and  the 
Count  Alexander,  having  no  hope  of  help, 
were  obliged  to  capitulate.  They  knew  that 


anir 


the  Grand  Master  of  Chaumont  was  at  Reg- 
gio  with  the  rest  of  the  French  army  fortify- 
ing that  place,  not  doubting  that  after  the 
reduction  of  La  Mirandola  the  pope  might 
attack  it  with  all  his  forces,  which  had  be- 
come considerable  by  the  union  of  the  Span- 
ish and  Venetian  troops  with  it.  They 
asked  by  the  capitulation,  that  the  town 
having  surrendered  to  the  pope,  he  should 
promise  that  the  garrison  and  inhabitants 
should  have  their  lives  saved,  but  he  wished 
all  to  give  themselves  up  at  discretion. 
However,  the  Duke  of  Urbino  was  the  medi- 
ator, and  treated  to  the  satisfaction  of  both 
parties.  The  pope  would  not  have  been  so 
merciful  had  it  not  been  for  the  friendship 
he  felt  for  his  nephew,  whose  heart  was  en- 
tirely in  favour  of  the  French,  and  who  re- 
membered with  gratitude  the  kindness  that 
the  reigning  king,  whose  page  he  had  been, 
had  shown  to  him.  The  holy  father  did  not 
condescend  to  enter  La  Mirandola  by  the 
gate  ;  he  had  a  bridge  made  on  the  moat, 
and  entered  there  by  the  breach. 

The  news  of  this  taking  grieved  the  Duke 
of  Ferrara  and  all  the  French  generals. 
This  prince,  little  doubting  that  he  should 
be  incessantly  besieged  in  his  capital,  broke 
the  bridge,  and  shut  himself  up  in  it  with 


Hife  of  Uaarfc  157 


all  his  troops,  resolved  to  defend  himself  to 
the  last  extremity.  In  fact,  Julius  was  no 
sooner  quiet  in  La  Mirandola  than  he  assem- 
bled a  council  of  war,  at  which  the  Duke  of 
Urbino  and  all  the  cavalry  and  infantry 
officers  of  the  army  assisted,  and  declared 
before  them  all  that,  without  losing  a  mo- 
ment, he  would  lay  siege  to  Ferrara.  He 
asked  them  their  advice  as  to  the  manner  of 
this  expedition,  taking  into  consideration 
that  the  place  was  strong  in  itself,  and  that 
it  was  provided  with  good  troops  and  nu- 
merous artillery.  He  added  that  the  best 
means  of  reducing  it  would  be  to  cut  off  the 
provisions,  and  starve  it  out,  which  would 
not  be  difficult,  as  he  was  master  of  the 
upper  passage  of  the  Po,  provided  the  Ven- 
etians would  guard  the  lower.  Every  one 
said  what  he  liked  for  or  against  this  plan. 
When  the  turn  of  one  of  the  captains  of  the 
Republic,  named  Giovanni  Forti,  came,  he 
spoke  to  the  pope,  and  said  to  him  : 

"  Very  Holy  Father,  following  the  plan  of 
your  holiness,  and  the  opinions  of  all  those 
who  have  spoken,  it  should  appear  very  easy 
to  starve  Ferrara  by  guarding  the  upper  and 
lower  passages  of  the  Po  ;  but  I  know  the 
country  well  enough  to  be  certain  that  the 
place  could  obtain  sufficient  subsistence 


*5»    Spotless  anir  jfeatless 

from  Argenta — we  could,  however,  cut  off 
even  this  resource.  On  the  other  side  there 
is  a  country  that  they  call  the  Polesine  of 
St.  George,  so  rich  that  it  alone  would  nour- 
ish the  town  for  one  year.  Now,  it  will  be 
difficult  to  break  off  communication  with  it, 
if  your  holiness  does  not  get  rid  of  a  little 
town  at  twenty  miles  from  Ferrara,  named 
La  Bastia,  which,  once  taken,  I  warrant  the 
place  starved  out  in  less  than  two  months, 
considering  the  number  of  people  shut  up 
in  it." 

The  captain  had  hardly  finished  speaking 
when  the  pope  cried  out  that  they  must  have 
La  Bastia,  and  that  they  should  have  no  rest 
until  the  place  was  theirs ;  and  he  instantly 
gave  the  commission  to  two  Spanish  cap- 
tains, who  were  each  to  lead  100  men-at- 
arms,  and  to  the  Captain  Forti  with  500 
horses  and  from  5,000  to  6,000  foot-soldiers. 
He  gave  them  besides  six  pieces  of  heavy 
artillery. 

All  this  large  train  of  artillery  set  out  in 
haste,  arrived  before  the  place  without  hin- 
drance, and  surprised  the  governor,  who  did 
not  expect  to  be  besieged,  more  especially 
by  such  a  formidable  army.  However,  he 
resolved  to  defend  himself  well — as  well  as 
he  could  with  such  a  feeble  garrison  as  his — 


Uife  of 


and  he  sent  a  special  messenger  to  his  mas- 
ter, to  inform  him  of  the  extremity  in  which 
he  found  himself.  The  pope's  men  did  not 
lose  a  moment.  As  soon  as  they  had  ar- 
rived they  planted  their  artillery,  and  began 
making  a  breach. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

THE  courier  that  the  governor  had  at 
first  sent  secretly  to  the  duke  marched 
with  such  diligence  that  he  was  at  Ferrara 
in  six  hours.  Bayard  met  him  at  the  gate 
by  which  he  entered,  and  had  him  brought 
forward  to  know  who  he  was,  whence  he 
came,  and  what  his  business  at  Ferrara  was. 

This  man  gave  him  a  faithful  account  of 
his  commission,  of  the  arrival  of  from  7,000 
to  8,000  men  before  La  Bastia,  and  finished 
up  by  saying  that  the  governor  sent  word 
to  the  duke  that  if  he  were  not  speedily 
assisted,  he  could  not  hold  out  twenty-four 
hours. 

"  What!  "  cried  Bayard,  "  is  the  place  so 
bad  as  that  ?" 

"  No,  my  lord,"  replied  the  messenger, 
"  it  is  one  of  the  best  places  in  Italy,  but 
there  are  only  twenty-five  men  within,  who 
are  not  in  a  state  to  resist,  especially  if  their 
enemies  give  the  assault." 

Upon  that  Bayard  led  him  to  the  duke, 


Hife  of 


whom  he  found  on  horseback  in  the  market- 
place, in  company  with  Montoison. 

This  latter,  believing  that  the  knight  had 
a  spy,  cried  out  to  him  from  a  distance, 

My  companion,  you  would  sooner  die  than 
pass  a  day  without  capturing  some  of  the 
enemy.  How  much  is  this  prisoner  going 
to  pay  for  his  ransom  ?  " 

"  He  is  not  an  enemy,"  said  Bayard,  "  he 
brings  strange  news  for  my  lord." 

The  messenger  gave  the  duke  the  letters 
of  the  governor  of  La  Bastia,  who  immedi- 
ately began  reading  them.  At  every  word 
he  changed  colour;  they  saw  him  grow  red 
and  white  by  turns. 

When  he  had  finished  reading  the  letter, 
he  said,  with  a  sorrowful  air,  "  If  I  lose  La 
Bastia,  I  may  also  abandon  Ferrara,  and  I 
do  not  see  any  means  of  giving  help  there  in 
the  time  that  my  commander  points  out; 
for  he  asks  it  for  to-morrow,  and  that  is  ab- 
solutely impossible,  taking  into  considera- 
tion that  it  is  twenty  miles  from  here  to  La 
Bastia,  and,  more  than  that,  there  is  a  defile 
half  a  mile  long,  where  only  one  man  can 
pass  at  a  time;  and  if  my  enemies  knew  of 
another  pass  which  is  on  the  road,  with 
twenty  men  they  could  stop  10,000;  but  I 
do  not  think  they  know  of  it." 


162     &otiejss  an* 


Bayard,  seeing  the  prince  in  consternation, 
and  with  so  much  reason  for  it,  said  to  him  : 
"  My  lord,  for  great  evils  we  must  have 
great  remedies.  When  a  little  thing  is  in 
hand,  we  may  leave  it  to  chance  ;  but  when 
ruin  is  before  us,  we  ought  to  employ  our 
most  strenuous  efforts  to  ward  it  off.  Your 
enemies  believe  themselves  in  safety  before 
La  Bastia,  because  they  imagine  that  the 
pope's  army,  which  is  not  far  from  here, 
will  hinder  our  going  to  pay  them  a  visit. 
An  idea  occurs  to  me  of  a  plan,  which  I  do 
not  think  it  will  be  difficult  to  execute,  and 
which,  if  it  succeeded,  would  do  us  great 
honour.  You  have  in  this  town  4,000  or 
5,000  good  troops,  experienced  soldiers. 
Take  2,000  of  them,  with  the  800  Swiss  of 
the  Captain  Zemberc,  and  make  them  em- 
bark to-night.  You  are  still  master  of  the 
Po  as  far  as  Argenta.  Order  them  to  go 
and  await  us  at  the  passage  of  which  you 
have  just  spoken,  and  to  take  it  from  them, 
if  they  are  arrived  before  us.  The  gendar- 
merie will  march  all  night  by  land,  with  good 
guides,  and  will  be  there  to-morrow  at  sun- 
rise, and  join  us.  The  enemy  will  never 
suspect  our  march.  You  say  that  from  this 
passage  to  La  Bastia  is  only  three  miles  ; 
that  being  so,  without  giving  them  time  to 


of  ISagarfc  163 


range  themselves  in  battle  order,  we  will  fall 
upon  them.  I  have  an  idea  that  we  shall 
succeed." 

All  the  gold  in  the  world  would  not  have 
been  so  acceptable  to  the  duke  as  the  advice 
Bayard  had  just  given  him. 

"  My  Lord  Bayard,"  he  cried,  transported 
with  joy,  "  you  find  nothing  difficult,  and 
I  do  not  doubt  that  if  all  the  French  lords 
who  are  here  will  help  us,  we  shall  destroy 
the  pope's  army,  and,"  added  he,  taking 
his  hat  off,  "  I  beg  them  to  do  so  with  all 
my  heart." 

"  There  is  no  necessity  for  that,"  replied 
the  brave  Montoison.  "  Order,  and  you 
shall  be  obeyed,  for  the  king,  our  master, 
told  us  so  to  do.  The  lords  of  Lude  and 
Fontrailles  say  the  same,  and  they  are  not 
men  to  retract." 

At  the  same  time  they  sent  for  the  cap- 
tains of  the  foot-soldiers,  who  were  in  the 
same  mind,  and  charmed  with  the  idea  of 
the  expedition. 

The  duke  secretly  prepared  a  number  of 
boats,  and  made  all  his  foot-soldiers  embark 
in  them  that  evening,  with  good  and  skilful 
sailors.  The  cavalry  set  out  at  the  approach 
of  night,  the  duke  at  their  head,  with  good 
guides,  who  led  them  so  well  that,  notwith- 


standing  the  bad  weather,  half  an  hour  be- 
fore daybreak  they  arrived  without  any  ob- 
stacle or  mishap  at  the  passage  where  they 
were  to  meet  the  others.  At  break  of  day 
the  boats  with  the  foot-soldiers  arrived  also. 
When  all  were  assembled,  they  marched 
noiselessly  towards  the  difficult  passage, 
which  was  a  little  bridge,  so  narrow  that 
only  one  knight  could  pass  at  a  time,  and  it 
was  over  a  very  deep  torrent  between  the 
Po  and  La  Bastia.  They  were  an  hour 
crossing,  so  that  it  was  quite  light  when 
they  had  arrived  on  the  other  side.  This 
circumstance  lessened  their  chances  of  suc- 
cess in  the  duke's  opinion,  and  besides  that, 
they  did  not  hear  the  cannon,  which  made 
them  think  the  place  had  surrendered.  But 
while  they  were  talking  with  the  French 
captain,  they  heard  three  cannons  fired 
at  once,  which  gave  them  inexpressible 
pleasure. 

They  were  then  at  a  mile  from  the  hostile 
army,  and  Bayard,  addressing  himself  to  the 
duke,  said,  "  My  lord,  I  have  heard  say  that 
it  is  not  wise  to  count  your  enemy  for  noth- 
ing. We  are  very  near  ours,  and  if  they  had 
the  least  knowledge  of  our  march,  they 
would  give  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  for 
they  are  three  to  our  one.  They  have  artil- 


Hifc  of  HJagartf  165 

lery,  and  we  have  none.  Besides,  the  pope 
has  sent  here  the  pick  of  his  troops,  so  we 
must  do  the  best  we  possibly  can  to  surprise 
them.  My  advice  is,  that  the  bastard  Du 
Fay,  my  standard-bearer,  a  man  learned  in 
skirmishes,  should  go  and  give  them  the 
alarm  on  the  side  whence  they  have  come, 
with  only  fifteen  or  twenty  horse,  and  the 
Captain  Pierrepont,  with  100  men-at-arms, 
shall  follow  him  at  a  bowshot's  length  to 
sustain  him,  and  at  a  like  distance  the  Cap- 
tain Zemberc  shall  march  with  his  Swiss. 
You,  my  lord,  at  our  head,  with  the  Lord  of 
Montoison  and  all  the  French  captains  that 
are  here,  will  march  straight  to  the  siege, 
and  I  will  go  a  little  in  advance  to  give  the 
first  alarm.  If  Du  Fay  attacks  before  us, 
and  the  enemy  turns  to  his  side,  we  will  put 
them  between  him  and  us.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  attack  before  him,  Pierrepont  and 
the  Swiss  will  act  as  we  should  have  done 
under  the  same  circumstances.  By  that 
means  they  will  be  astonished,  and  will  think 
our  number  three  times  as  large  as  it  is;  and 
our  trumpets  must  make  as  much  noise  as 
they  possibly  can." 

This  arrangement  having  been  approved 
of  by  every  one,  they  agreed  to  follow  the 
advice;  and  they  set  out  on  their  march 


1  66    Spotless  an&  fearless 


from  opposite  points.  The  prince's  detach- 
ment arrived  at  a  cannon-shot  from  the 
place,  and  neither  party  was  yet  discovered. 
Du  Fay  commenced  by  giving  a  loud 
alarm  from  his  side,  which  surprised  all  the 
enemy's  camp  greatly.  They  immediately 
put  themselves  under  arms,  and  mounted 
their  horses  to  go  straight  to  him,  while 
their  foot-soldiers  ranged  themselves  in  bat- 
tle order;  but,  fortunately  for  the  Duke  of 
Ferrara,  they  did  not  give  them  the  time. 
Those  who  repulsed  Du  Fay  had  hardly  taken 
200  steps  when  Pierrepont  attacked  them 
from  the  side,  and  broke  them.  The  Swiss 
immediately  fell  upon  the  foot-soldiers,  who 
were  from  5,000  to  6,000  in  number.  They 
had  not  much  success  at  first,  and  would 
have  been  undoubtedly  forced  to  yield  to 
numbers,  had  it  not  been  for  the  cavalry, 
which  sustained  them,  and  took  this  infantry 
on  the  flank.  Then  the  duke,  at  the  head 
of  the  French  men-at-arms,  commanded  by 
Montoison,  Du  Lude,  Fontrailles,  and  Bay- 
ard, and  with  200  foot-soldiers,  attacked  the 
enemy  in  the  rear,  and  completely  defeated 
them.  While  these  deeds  were  being  done, 
Fontrailles  and  Bayard  perceived  a  body  of 
from  300  to  400  knights,  who  tried  to  rally. 
They  called  their  men  together  promptly, 


Hife  of 


who,  without  giving  their  enemies  time  to 
recognize  them,  charged  them,  crying, 
"  France!  France!  duke!  duke!  "  and  upset 
the  greater  part  of  them.  The  rest  of  their 
army  sustained  the  shock  for  nearly  an  hour, 
notwithstanding  the  slaughter,  but  finally 
their  defeat  was  so  complete  that  very  few 
escaped.  Five  thousand  foot-soldiers  and 
more  than  sixty  men-at-arms,  all  the  bag- 
gage, all  the  artillery,  and  more  than  300 
horses  remained  to  the  conquerors,  with  so 
much  plunder  that  it  was  quite  embarrassing. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THIS  victory  of  La  Bastia  was  the  salva- 
tion of  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  and  the 
French,  who,  under  other  circumstances, 
had  been  lost.  They  all  returned  to  Ferrara 
glorious  and  triumphant,  and  were  received 
there  with  shouting  and  acclamation  by  the 
people.  The  duchess  especially  gave  them 
the  reception  due  to  their  success,  and  dur- 
ing their  stay  regaled  them  with  continual 
festivals  and  amusements.  We  have  spoken 
of  the  virtues  and  talents  of  the  duke.  The 
duchess,  his  wife,  was  not  less  worthy  of 
praise.  She  was  Anne  Sforza,  daughter  of 
Galeas  Marie,  Duke  of  Milan,  and  Bonne 
of  Savoy,  daughter  of  the  Duke  Louis.  Na- 
ture had  bestowed  upon  her  more  gifts  and 
graces  than  upon  any  other  woman  of  her 
age.  She  spoke  and  composed  equally  well 
in  Italian,  French,  Latin,  and  Greek,  and 
contributed  not  a  little  to  the  glory  of  her 
liusband  and  his  house.  They  had  one  son, 
Hercules  II.,  Duke  of  Ferrara,  who  married 


llife  of  iSaarfc  169 


Madame  Rene"e,  second  daughter  of  the 
king. 

We  are  compelled  to  interrupt  the  course 
of  our  narrative  for  a  short  time  to  do  hom- 
age to  the  rare  talents  of  our  hero.  The 
Duke  of  Ferrara  owed  to  him  the  safety  of 
his  estates.  The  French  army  was  no  less 
under  an  obligation  to  him,  for  it  would  un- 
doubtedly have  been  lost  if  the  pope  had 
succeeded  in  his  plans,  in  league  as  he  was 
with  the  Spanish  and  the  Venetians.  What 
wonderful  presence  of  mind  at  the  news  of 
the  siege  of  La  Bastia,  what  coolness  in 
seeking  for  a  remedy,  what  promptitude  in 
finding  it,  what  wisdom  in  its  development  ! 
Finally,  what  a  display  of  sagacity  and  gen- 
eralship in  its  execution  !  But  it  is  impossi- 
ble sufficiently  to  praise  Bayard  for  the  part 
he  performed  on  this  memorable  occasion. 
He  had  never  seen  La  Bastia  nor  its  en- 
virons, nor  the  local  situation  of  the  Po;  but 
he  had  a  perfect  knowledge  of  it  neverthe- 
less. Without  this  knowledge  he  could 
never  have  conceived  and  carried  into  exe- 
cution a  plot  so  complicated,  and  upon  the 
success  of  which  depended  the  saving  of  the 
duke  and  of  his  estates,  and  that  of  the 
army  of  the  king  himself. 

A  few  months  after  the  great   event  just 


attfc 


recorded,  Philibert  de  Clermont,  Lord  of 
Montoison,  died  at  Ferrara,  of  a  fever, 
which  carried  him  off  in  a  few  days.  He 
was  lieutenant-general  of  the  French  army 
in  Italy,  and  one  of  the  greatest  captains  of 
his  age.  He  distinguished  himself  greatly 
in  Picardy,  Bretagne,  Lombardy,  and  the 
kingdom  of  Naples.  He  had  gained  great 
advantages  over  the  Swiss,  particularly  at 
the  Lake  of  Como.  He  was  praised  amongst 
other  qualities  for  the  singular  precision  he 
showed  in  deciding  the  number  of  a  hostile 
army,  however  far  it  might  be  from  him. 
The  king  was  full  of  regret  at  his  death. 
He  looked  upon  him  as  the  first  of  his  cap- 
tains, and  feared  that  his  death  would  occa- 
sion a  revolt  in  the  duchy  of  Milan.  He 
was  much  regretted  by  the  Duke  and  Duch- 
ess of  Ferrara,  and  by  all  the  officers,  both 
French  and  Italian  ;  but  Bayard  wept  for  him, 
his  particular  friend  and  his  countryman.1 

1  They  were  both  from  the  same  canton,  in  the  province  of 
Dauphiny.  Montoison  was  captain  of  fifty  men-at-arms,  and 
one  of  the  most  illustrious  warriors  of  his  heroic  age.  He  was 
the  originator  of  the  device  that  descended  to  his  posterity,  A  la 
recousse,  Montoison,  "  To  the  rescue,  Montoison,"  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  battle  of  Fornova,  when  Charles  VIII.,  seeing  a  wing 
of  his  army  tottering,  and  ready  to  break,  cried,  To  the  rescue, 
Montoison  I  Montoison,  who  was  in  command  of  the  rear-guard, 
went  at  once,  and  charged  the  enemy  so  vigorously  that  he 
decided  the  gain  of  the  battle.  This  brave  man  belonged  to  a 
cadet  branch  of  the  house  of  Clermont  Tonnerre. 


Htfe  of  iSagarii 


If  the  deliverance  of  La  Bastia  was  glori- 
ous happiness  for  the  French,  it  was  equally 
intolerable  misery  to  the  pope,  who  was 
furious  when  he  received  the  news  of  it. 
He  swore  to  be  avenged,  and  wished  to  go 
immediately  and  lay  siege  to  Ferrara;  but 
his  generals  tried  by  all  means  in  their  power 
to  turn  him  from  his  intention.  His  nephew, 
the  Duke  of  Urbino,  especially  was  loud  in 
dispraise  of  such  a  proceeding,  as  he  wished 
to  see  his  uncle  reconciled  to  the  king  of 
France.  They  represented  to  him  that  the 
place  was  strong  in  itself,  well  furnished 
with  artillery,  and  full  of  good  officers,  of 
whom  the  invincible  Bayard  was  one;  that 
he  would  not  only  lose  his  men,  but  have 
great  difficulty  in  obtaining  ammunition  and 
provisions. 

Julius,  obliged  to  give  up  the  idea  of  tak- 
ing the  place  by  force,  plotted  to  have  it  by 
surprise,  making  use  of  spies  upon  whom  he 
thought  he  could  rely,  and  by  whose  means 
he  hoped  to  get  one  of  the  gates  opened 
secretly  in  the  night. 

He  sent  spies,  therefore,  charged  to  draw 
the  sentinels  from  their  duty;  but  the  duke 
and  the  knight  were  so  wary  that  they  ar- 
rested six  or  seven  of  these  spies,  who  were 
hanged.  However,  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  en- 


Spotless  antr 


tertained  suspicions  (perhaps  wrongfully)  of 
some  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  town,  amongst 
others  of  the  Count  Borse  of  the  house  of 
Calcagnini,  with  whom  Bayard  had  once 
lodged,  and  at  whose  detention  he  was  much 
grieved;  but  he  felt  that  in  the  uncertain 
state  of  affairs  it  would  not  be  prudent  to 
interfere. 

The  pope's  plan  of  taking  Ferrara  by 
treason  not  being  more  satisfactory  than  his 
wish  to  besiege  it,  he  imagined  a  third 
scheme,  which  was  truly  horrible.  It  was 
his  intention  to  endeavour  to  enlist  the 
Duke  of  Ferrara  on  his  side  against  the 
French,  who  had  always  been  the  duke's 
best  friends  and  most  valuable  allies.  Julius 
had  in  his  service  a  gentleman  of  Lodi,  in 
the  duchy  of  Milan,  named  Augustin  Guerlo, 
a  celebrated  intriguer,  and  a  man  always 
more  ready  to  do  a  treasonable  than  a  good 
action.  The  pope  sent  for  him  one  day, 
and  charged  him  to  go  secretly  to  the  Duke 
of  Ferrara,  and  tell  him  that  if  he  would 
ally  himself  with  him,  for  the  purpose  of 
utterly  destroying  the  French,  he  would 
give  one  of  his  nieces  to  his  eldest  son  in 
marriage,  with  the  title  of  Gonfalonier  and 
Captain-general  of  the  Church,  and  bind  to 
him  for  ever  the  estates  and  possessions 


Htfe  of  iSagarir  173 

which  had  been  the  causes  of  quarrels  be- 
tween them.  "  It  will  be  only  necessary," 
Julius  continued,  "  for  him  to  give  the 
French  their  leave,  and  tell  them  that  he 
has  no  further  occasion  for  their  services, 
and  as  they  must  pass  my  territory  on  their 
return,  my  intention  is  not  to  let  one  escape 
me." 

Guerlo  found  the  commission  very  much 
to  his  taste,  and  undertook  it  immediately, 
promising  the  pope  to  acquit  himself  to  his 
satisfaction.  He  went  to  Ferrara,  and  ad- 
dressed himself  at  once  to  the  duke,  who 
listened  to  him  calmly,  and  without  show- 
ing any  of  the  intense  horror  he  felt  at  such 
a  dastardly  proposal;  on  the  contrary,  he 
pretended  to  the  messenger  that  he  would 
willingly  comply  with  the  pope's  wishes, 
though  nothing  was  further  from  his  inten- 
tion, and  he  would  have  preferred  losing  all 
his  estates,  and  death  even,  to  acting  in  a 
manner  so  treacherous  and  ungrateful,  and 
unworthy  of  himself.  However,  he  received 
the  messenger  well,  and  had  him  apparently 
well  treated ;  but  he  ordered  him  to  be  taken 
to  a  room,  of  which  he  shut  the  door,  and 
took  away  the  key,  and,  accompanied  by 
only  one  gentleman,  proceeded  at  once  to 
Bayard's  lodgings. 


174         otless  anfc 


The  tale  of  the  evil  design  of  Julius  made 
the  good  knight  shudder,  as  well  it  might  ; 
in  fact,  the  plot  appeared  to  him  so  thor- 
oughly detestable  that  he  hesitated  to  be- 
lieve it  at  first.  But  the  duke  offered  to 
convince  him,  if  he  would  return  to  his  pal- 
ace with  him,  by  placing  him  in  a  cabinet, 
whence  he  could  hear  Guerlo  repeat  the 
pope's  commission  word  for  word,  assuring 
him  that,  after  the  tokens  the  envoy  had 
given  him,  he  could  not  doubt  that  he  was 
really  sent  by  the  pope.  "  But,"  added  he, 
"  when  I  heard  it  I  shuddered  with  horror, 
as  you  do.  I  know  the  obligations  my  an- 
cestors were  under  to  the  kings  of  France, 
and  myself  more  than  all  to  the  reigning 
king,  and  rather  than  repay  their  services 
by  such  vile  treason,  I  would  consent  to  be 
bound  to  four  horses,  and  torn  limb  from 
limb." 

Bayard  told  him  that  he  had  no  reason  to 
justify  himself,  that  he  knew  his  greatness 
of  mind  too  well  to  fear  that  any  surprise 
could  happen  to  the  French,  at  least  with 
his  consent,  and  that  he  felt  himself  as  safe 
in  Ferrara  as  at  Paris. 

Then  the  duke  proposed  to  act  somewhat 
as  the  pope  had  done,  and  to  repay  his  in- 
tended good  turn  by  one  somewhat  similar, 


Htfe  of  ISagartr  175 

and,  without  explaining  what  he  meant,  he 
returned  to  the  palace,  where  he  conversed 
with  Guerlo  some  time  without  coming  to 
the  point.  At  last  he  said :  "  I  fear  the  holy 
father's  scheme  is  not  practicable,  for  two 
reasons.  In  the  first  place,  how  can  he  ex- 
pect me  to  trust  him,  after  he  has  told  me 
a  hundred  times  that  I  am  the  man  he  hates 
the  most  In  the  world,  and  that  if  he  had 
me  in  his  power  he  would  murder  me;  and 
I  know  besides  that  he  has  no  other  motive 
than  to  obtain  possession  of  my  town  and 
estates.  In  the  second  place,  how  can  I 
have  the  assurance  to  declare  to  the  Lord 
Bayard  and  the  other  French  captains  that 
their  aid  is  useless,  and  that  they  must 
leave  ?  They  are  twice  as  strong  as  I  am 
here;  they  will  take  time  to  inform  the  king 
or  his  lieutenant-general,  the  Grand  Master 
of  Chaumont ;  and  if  while  waiting  their  or- 
ders, they  hear  of  my  understanding  with 
the  pope,  they  will  have  a  right  to  treat  me 
as  a  man  without  faith,  and  perhaps  an 
enemy,  or  at  least  they  will  leave  me,  and  I 
shall  find  myself  exposed  on  all  sides.  But, 
Signor  Guerlo,  you  know  the  pope  is  a  ter- 
rible, furious,  and  vindictive  man.  He  has 
spoken  one  thing  to  you,  and  possibly  thinks 
another,  and  he  is  quite  capable  of  paying 


76    Spotless  anti 


you  treacherously  on  the  first  day  of  your 
services.  Besides,  he  is  mortal,  and  when 
he  is  dead  what  reward  will  you  have  from 
his  successors  ?  Are  you  not  aware  that  in 
that  court  gratitude  for  services  does  not 
pass  from  one  pope  to  another  ?  You  know 
that  I  am  in  a  position  to  do  you  good,  and 
I  give  you  my  word  that  I  will  do  it  so  gen- 
erously that  you  shall  be  at  ease  for  the  rest 
of  your  life,  if  you  will  help  me  to  defeat 
my  enemy." 

Guerlo  was  too  low-minded  and  interested 
to  refuse  such  propositions.  He  assured  the 
prince  that  for  a  long  time  he  had  resolved 
to  leave  the  pope's  service  for  his,  if  he 
agreed  to  it  ;  that  no  one  was  more  able  than 
he  to  do  what  he  wished,  being  day  and 
night  with  the  pope,  serving  him  at  table, 
and  being  so  much  in  his  confidence  that 
they  talked  together  alone  of  the  most 
secret  matters. 

"  So,  my  lord,"  he  added,  "  if  you  will 
make  it  worth  my  while,  he  shall  not  be 
alive  in  eight  days  from  this.  I  ask  for  no 
reward  till  after  his  death;  but  I  must  have 
your  word  that  when  that  takes  place  I  shall 
be  well  remembered." 

The  duke,  who  had  already  given  him  his 
word,  confirmed  it  on  his  honour,  and  they 


Hife  of  Uagattr  177 

agreed  that  Guerlo  should  receive  2,000 
ducats  down,  and  500  ducats  a  year. 

The  treaty  concluded,  the  duke  left  the 
messenger  to  inform  Bayard  of  what  had 
happened.  He  found  him  on  the  ramparts, 
and,  having  drawn  him  aside,  said  to  him, 
"  You  know  that  traitors  and  deceivers  often 
fall  into  their  own  traps.  You  and  I  and 
all  the  French  shall  soon  be  avenged  on  our 
enemy.  I  have  gained  over  the  pope's  com- 
missioner, and  I  have  his  word  that  in  eight 
days  his  master  shall  be  a  dead  man." 

"  How  can  that  be?"  cried  Bayard.  "  Does 
this  man  so  enter  into  the  secrets  of  Provi- 
dence that  he  can  predict  the  precise  time 
of  life  or  death  ?" 

"  Do  not  disturb  yourself,"  the  duke  re- 
plied. "  I  am  very  certain  of  what  I  have 
just  said." 

Bayard's  heart  was  too  pure  to  suspect 
the  truth;  but,  having  finally  learnt  that 
Guerlo  was  to  poison  the  pope,  he  trembled, 
and  manifested  his  great  surprise  at  the 
duke,  wondered  how  such  a  plot  could  have 
originated  with  so  great  a  prince,  and  said 
that  if  he  could  think  such  a  thing  possible, 
he  would  warn  the  pope  of  it  that  very  day. 

The  duke  justified  himself  by  saying  with 
what  horrible  treason  the  pope  had  intended 


'78    Spotless  auto  fearless 

to  act  towards  them,  and  reminded  Bayard 
how  many  of  his  spies  they  had  arrested  and 
hanged. 

"  No  matter,"  said  Bayard,  "  I  can  never 
consent  to  his  perishing  in  that  manner." 

The  duke,  on  the  contrary,  wished  that 
all  his  enemies  might  be  served  the  same. 
"  But,"  he  added,  "  as  you  oppose  it,  it  shall 
not  be;  but  if  God  himself  do  not  smite  him, 
and  that  soon,  you  and  I  will  have  plenty 
of  time  to  repent  our  mercy." 

I  hope  not,"  replied  Bayard;  "and  if 
you  will  give  up  to  me  the  man  who  wishes 
to  commit  this  masterpiece  of  villany,  I  will 
have  him  hanged  in  less  than  an  hour." 

The  duke,  who  had  pledged  his  word  to 
Guerlo  that  his  person  should  be  safe,  kept 
his  promise,  and  sent  him  away.  But  the 
miserable  wretch  had  not  long  to  wait  for 
the  reward  that  he  merited,  having  been 
hanged  some  time  after  at  Brescia  for  an- 
other crime.  Thus  Bayard,  who  had  checked 
the  plots  of  the  pope  against  the  duke,  and 
the  schemes  of  the  duke  against  the  pope, 
saved  the  life  of  the  one  and  the  honour  and 
estates  of  the  other. 


CHAPTER  XV 

JULIUS  remained  some  time  longer  at  La 
U  Mirandola,  then  put  his  troops  in  their 
quarters,  and  returned  to  Rome.  About 
this  time  the  Duke  of  Urbino,  the  pope's 
nephew,  had  a  quarrel  with  the  Cardinal  of 
Pavia,  the  prime  minister,  and  killed  him. 
How  the  quarrel  arose  is  not  exactly  known, 
but  it  was  imagined  that  the  cardinal  had 
accused  the  young  duke  of  favouring  the 
French,  and  informing  them  daily  of  his 
uncle's  plans.  The  pope  was  irritated  at 
the  death  of  his  favourite,  but  he  did  noth- 
ing to  avenge  it.  We  know  well  enough 
the  privileges  belonging  to  the  position  of 
nephew  to  the  pope. 

In  the  following  year  (1512)  Trivulce,  who 
had  become  Marshal  of  France,  and  who 
was  in  command  of  the  French  army  in 
Lombardy,  retook  La  Mirandola,  and  gave 
it  back  to  the  countess.  Afterwards  he 
drove"  the  pope's  army  to  Bologna,  where 
he  entirely  destroyed  it,  and  thought  to 
make  the  pontiff  himself  prisoner.  This 


victory  was  remarkable,  inasmuch  as  no 
blood  was  shed.  All  was  taken — men,  artil- 
lery, tents,  and  baggage.  There  were  some 
of  the  French  who  took  five  or  six  prisoners 
single-handed — one  of  them  named  La 
Baume,  who  had  a  wooden  leg,  led  three 
bound  together.  Bayard  acquired  so  much 
glory  on  this  extraordinary  day,  that  Mar- 
shal Trivulce  did  not  hesitate  to  say  on  the 
same  evening,  in  presence  of  all  the  officers 
of  the  army,  that  it  was  to  him,  after  God, 
that  they  owed  the  victory. 

Before  this  great  victory  much  had  been 
taking  place  in  Italy ;  but  as  the  events  have 
nothing  to  do  with  our  hero,  we  suppress 
them.  We  ought  not,  however,  to  omit 
that  the  emperor,  having  some  places  in 
Friuli  that  the  Venetians  kept  from  him, 
asked  help  from  France  to  recover  them. 
The  king  sent  him  1,200  men-at-arms  and 
800  foot-soldiers,  commanded  by  Chabannes, 
who  did  not  forget  to  engage  his  good  friend 
Bayard  to  accompany  him.  This  body  met 
the  emperor's  army  (under  the  orders  of 
George  of  Stein,  a  German  lord)  at  Verona. 
Thence  it  marched  straight  to  Trevisa, 
whence,  not  having  had  great  success,  it 
penetrated  into  Friuli. 

Bayard  at  that  time  was  in  command  of 


of  BagarTr 


100  men-at-arms,  whom  the  king  had  re- 
cently given  to  the  Duke  of  Lorraine,  with 
the  express  condition  that  the  knight  should 
head  them.  With  this  troop,  accompanied 
by  the  brave  Fontrailles  and  his  men,  and 
some  few  Germans,  they  presented  them- 
selves before  Gradisca  and  Goritz,  soon  made 
themselves  masters  of  them,  and  gave  them 
up  to  the  emperor's  soldiers;  but,  disgusted 
by  the  slowness  of  the  Germans,  they  re- 
joined Chabannes,  who,  for  the  same  reason, 
was  still  where  they  had  left  him.  In  this 
expedition  they  lost  an  excellent  officer,  the 
Lord  of  Lorges  (of  the  house  of  Montgom- 
ery), who  was  killed  before  Trevisa,  and  who 
commanded  1,000  foot-soldiers.  Misery  fol- 
lowed, and  more  than  4,000  men,  French  as 
well  as  Grisons,  died  for  want  of  provisions. 
This  state  of  things  determined  Chabannes 
to  return,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of 
the  emperor's  soldiers,  with  whom  he  had 
high  words  on  this  subject. 

After  Mirandola  had  been  retaken,  and 
Ferrara  assisted  as  we  have  seen,  the  Duke 
of  Nemours,  with  the  French  officers,  went 
to  see  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Ferrara  in 
their  capital,  and  had  a  reception  worthy  of  a 
prince  who  was  the  nephew  of  a  king,  and  of 
the  great  service  that  the  French  had  ren- 


auto 


dered  them.  Amongst  many  sights,  there 
was  one  of  which  we  shall  give  an  account, 
less  to  serve  as  a  model  than  to  show  to 
what  excess  of  fury  they  carried  what  they 
called  bravery,  or  a  point  of  honour,  in  those 
days.  It  appears  incredible  that  princes  and 
lords,  noted  for  their  birth,  their  virtues, 
their  piety  even,  should  lend  themselves  to 
combats  which  are  revolting  to  nature  and 
reason,  as  if  they  were  legitimate  and  reason- 
able acts,  some  fighting,  others  seconding 
them,  others  judging  them,  and  again  others 
looking  on.  We  have  seen  Bayard  himself, 
the  wisest  and  most  virtuous  man  of  his 
age,  doing  the  same  thing.  But  the  most 
astonishing  part  is  to  see  the  combatants 
preparing  themselves  by  prayer  to  fight,  and 
the  conqueror  giving  thanks  to  God  for  hav- 
ing killed  his  man. 

Two  Spanish  gentlemen,  the  one  the  Lord 
of  St.  Croix,  the  other  Azevedo,  made  pris- 
oners at  Bologna,  had  quarrelled.  Azevedo 
accused  St.  Croix  of  having  wished  to  assas- 
sinate him  treasonably.  St.  Croix  had  given 
him  the  lie,  and  had  offered  to  satisfy  him 
by  mortal  combat.  Azevedo  charged  the 
Baron  of  Beam  to  obtain  permission  to  fight 
from  the  Duke  of  Nemours,  which  was 
granted.  He  then  sent  for  St.  Croix,  who 


Hite  of  iSagatlr  183 

accepted  the  challenge  immediately.  The 
field  was  prepared  before  the  Duke  of  Fer- 
rara's  palace.  The  second  day  the  cham- 
pions appeared.  St.  Croix,  accompanied  by 
100  knights,  amongst  others  by  Dom  Pedro 
d'Acugna,  his  second,  knight  of  Rhodes, 
and  grand  prior  of  Messina,  and  other  lords. 
Azevedo  was  attended  by  the  same  number, 
and  his  second,  Frederick  of  Gonzagues, 
Count  of  Bossola.  As  soon  as  Azevedo  had 
entered  the  lists,  armed  with  all  possible 
weapons  for  fighting  either  on  horseback  or 
on  foot,  the  grand  prior  of  Messina  advanced 
towards  him,  and  presented  him  with  two 
very  sharp  swords  and  two  poniards,  from 
which  he  was  to  choose,1  St.  Croix  not  in- 
tending to  have  any  other  kind  of  arms. 
After  their  seconds  had  felt  them  to  satisfy 
themselves  that  they  had  no  coats  of  mail 
or  other  defence  under  their  clothes,  they 
fell  on  their  knees  and  said  their  prayers, 
and  every  one  left  the  field  but  the  two  sec- 
onds and  Bayard,  whom  the  Duke  of  Fer- 
rara  had  appointed  umpire,  not  only  to  hon- 
our him,  but  because  he  knew  most  about 
such  fights.  The  herald  having  sounded  to 

1  The  Loyal  Servant  adds  "/we  secrettes"  as  well  as  the 
rapiers  and  the  poniards,  and  we  learn  from  Du  Cange  that  the 
secrette  was  a  small  but  very  effective  axe.  See  Glossary,  vol. 
vi.  p.  314,  at  the  word  secures. 


atUr 


impose  silence,  the  two  adversaries  marched 
proudly  towards  each  other,  and  commenced 
fighting.  Their  strokes  fell  so  thick  and  fast 
that  one  did  not  wait  for  the  other,  and  both 
had  need  to  be  watchful  and  careful  of  their 
footing.  After  several  strokes  given  and 
returned  on  both  sides,  St.  Croix  gave 
Azevedo  a  vigorous  thrust  in  the  face. 
Azevedo  took  his  sword  from  him  very  skil- 
fully, and  plunged  his  own  in  St.  Croix's 
thigh  downwards,  cutting  him  to  the  bone. 
The  blood  spouted  out,  and  St.  Croix  took 
but  one  step,  and  fell.  Azevedo  cried  out 
to  him,  "  Give  yourself  up,  St.  Croix,  or  I 
shall  slay  you;"  but,  without  answering, 
he  still  sat  on  the  ground  with  the  sword  in 
his  hand,  and  made  passes  as  if  he  still 
fought. 

Azevedo  begged  him  to  get  up,  saying 
that  he  would  not  strike  him  while  he  was 
down.  St.  Croix  tried,  but  he  only  took 
two  steps,  and  then  fell  on  his  face,  when 
his  opponent  raised  his  sword  to  cut  off  his 
head,  which  would  have  been  easy  to  do, 
but  he  did  not  strike. 

The  Duchess  of  Ferrara,  frightened  at 
this  horrible  sight,  begged  the  Duke  of 
Nemours  to  separate  the  combatants. 

"  I  cannot  do  it  in  honour,  madam,"  said 


Hife  of  ISagarir  185 

he  to  her.  "  Right  gives  the  conquered  to 
the  victor."  However,  St.  Croix  lost  all  his 
blood,  and  yet  would  not  give  himself  up. 
The  prior  of  Messina  went  to  Azevedo,  and 
said  to  him,  "  My  lord,  I  know  the  heart  of 
St.  Croix,  and  that  he  would  only  give  up 
to  death.  I  give  myself  up  for  him  as  his 
second."  Then  they  called  the  surgeon  to 
dress  the  wound  and  stop  the  blood,  after 
which  his  people  carried  him  off  in  their 
arms.  The  conqueror  threw  himself  on  his 
knees  to  thank  God  for  having  given  him 
the  victory,  and  was  led  in  triumph  to  the 
Duke  of  Nemours'  house  by  those  who  had 
accompanied  him. 

By  the  law  of  victory  the  arms  of  St. 
Croix  should  belong  to  Azevedo,  so  he  sent 
to  demand  them;  but  they  refused  them. 
He  complained  of  this  to  the  Duke  of  Fer- 
rara,  who  charged  the  knight  Bayard  to  go 
and  demand  them,  and  make  them  give 
them  up;  that  otherwise  St.  Croix  should 
be  brought  back  to  the  field,  his  wound  un- 
dressed, and  his  person  abandoned  to  the 
discretion  of  the  conqueror.  The  severity 
of  these  conditions  settled  the  matter,  and 
his  arms  were  given  up. 

But  it  is  time  to  return  to  our  history. 
After  the  pope's  troops  had  been  driven 


186    Spotless  anfc 


from  the  Duchy  of  Ferrara,  they  joined 
themselves  to  those  of  Spain.  They  then 
came  with  the  intention  of  besieging  Bo- 
logna, which  siege  they  were  speedily  forced 
to  raise.  The  Venetians,  on  the  other  side, 
were  besieging  Verona,  where  the  Lord  of 
Plessis  was  in  command  for  the  king.  This 
place  had  been  given  by  the  emperor  to  the 
king  as  hostage  for  a  considerable  loan  of 
money.  The  grand  master  went  to  its  assist- 
ance, and  had  the  siege  raised,  as  he  had 
done  at  Bologna.  This  was  his  last  exploit  ; 
a  short  time  after  he  died  in  the  little  town 
of  Corregion  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight. 
He  had  been  appointed  Governor  of  Milan 
at  twenty-five,  and  for  thirteen  years  had 
kept  his  master's  Italian  states  with  the  wis- 
dom and  prudence  of  an  experienced  man. 
He  was  a  nephew  worthy  of  the  Cardinal  of 
Amboise,  who  had  adorned  him  with  the 
offices  of  grand  master,  marshal,  and  admiral 
of  France,  as  we  have  already  said.1  The 

1  He  was  the  son  of  Charles  d'Amboise,  Lord  of  Chaumont, 
Governor  of  Burgundy  and  Champagne,  and  grandson  of  Peter, 
father  of  the  Cardinal  George,  and  seven  other  sons.  All  this 
large  and  numerous  house  is  extinct  ;  the  name  alone  is  pre- 
served by  the  alliance  of  the  heiress  with  a  member  of  the  house 
of  Clermont  Gallerande,  whose  cadet  branch,  known  by  the 
name  of  Clermont  of  Amboise,  exists  in  the  person  of  John 
Baptist  Louis,  Marquis  of  Resnel,  called  the  Marquis  of  Cler- 
mont, lieutenant-general  of  the  king's  armies,  who  is  appointed 


Hife  of  i3agatlr  187 

tears  of  all  the  officers,  the  soldiers,  and  the 
people  were  his  praise,  and  the  regrets  of 
the  king  and  all  the  kingdom  were  a  suffi- 
cient renown. 

Louis  immediately  sent  the  Duke  of 
Longueville  to  replace  him  in  his  post  of 
lieutenant-general.  Longueville  did  nothing 
but  renew  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  king 
and  to  Madame  Claude  of  France,  his  eldest 
daughter,  sworn  by  all  those  who  held  places 
in  the  Duchy  of  Milan.  After  that  he  re- 
turned, and  was  immediately  succeeded  by 
the  Duke  of  Nemours,  with  all  the  author- 
ity that  the  grand  master  himself  had  had. 

At  the  end  of  the  same  year — that  is  to 
say,  towards  Christmas — the  Duke  of  Ne- 
mours learned  that  a  large  troop  of  Swiss 
were  descending  into  the  Duchy  of  Milan  to 
drive  him  from  it.  He  went  to  meet  them 
with  the  few  men  that  remained  with  him, 
but  the  greater  part  of  his  soldiers  were  in 
winter  quarters,  or  in  garrison  at  Verona, 
Bologna,  and  other  places.  Not  finding 

to  the  name  and  arms  of  Amboise.  He  has  an  only  son,  Dom 
d'Aubrac  in  Rouergue,  a  knight  of  Malta.  Again,  there  are 
two  houses  which  join  to  their  name  that  of  Amboise,  the  Mar- 
quis of  Aubijoux,  and  a  branch  of  the  house  of  CrussoU  The 
arms  of  the  Marquis  of  Clermont  are  azure,  three  chevrons  or, 
that  of  the  chief  broken  at  the  point,  quartered  with  those  of 
Amboise,  which  are  palle  or,  and  gules  in  six  pieces. 


188    Spotless  antt 


their  numbers  sufficiently  large  to  oppose  so 
vast  a  body  of  men,  they  were  obliged  to  re- 
turn to  Milan,  and  had  the  misfortune  to 
lose  the  Baron  of  Conti,  who  was  mortally 
wounded  in  the  retreat,  and  died  soon  after. 
His  death  was  avenged  with  interest  the 
next  day  by  the  baron's  good  friend,  Bay- 
ard, our  noble  hero,  who  left  500  Swiss  dead 
on  the  field  where  Conti  had  been  wounded. 
This  disgrace  and  want  of  provisions  forced 
their  leader,  the  Baron  of  Saxony,  to  enter 
into  a  negotiation  with  the  Duke  of  Ne- 
mours, and  in  consequence  of  this  they  re- 
turned to  their  own  country,  but  not  before 
they  had  left  cruel  traces  of  their  visit,  and 
had  burnt  about  twenty  large  villages  on 
their  road.  The  Duke  of  Nemours,  rid  of 
the  Swiss,  had  scarcely  breathing  time,  when 
he  learnt  that  the  Spaniards  were  approach- 
ing Bologna  to  besiege  it.  He  set  out  with 
his  army  for  Final,  and  established  his  quar- 
ters in  its  environs.  On  the  road  from  Milan 
to  Final  he  remained  two  days  in  the  little 
town  of  Carpi,  with  the  heads  of  his  army, 
and  those  whom  he  loved  and  trusted.  This 
town  belonged  to  Albert  Pico,  Count  of 
Carpi,  cousin-german  to  John  Francis  Pico, 
Count  of  La  Mirandola,  both  of  them  noted 
for  their  learning. 


Htfe  of  iSagartr          189 

The  count  made  great  cheer  for  the  chief 
and  French  captains,  and  amongst  other 
things  they  had  the  amusement  of  an  astrol- 
oger, who  was  then  in  the  town,  whose  his- 
tory is  curious  enough  to  merit  a  place  here.1 

This  astrologer  was  a  little,  withered,  black 
man,  of  about  sixty  years  of  age,  who  aston- 
ished all  the  world  by  the  tales  he  told  every 
one  of  things  which  had  happened  to  them, 
without  having  had  any  previous  knowledge 
of  their  history,  and  still  more  by  his  pre- 
dictions, which  results  had  often  verified. 
When  the  Duke  of  Nemours  and  all  his 
company  had  heard  the  history  of  this  man, 
they  wished  to  see  him,  and  amuse  them- 
selves with  him.  They  sent  word  to  him  to 
present  himself  before  the  count.  When  he 
arrived,  the  duke  spoke  to  him  in  a  friendly 
manner,  and  asked  him  several  questions  on 
indifferent  subjects  before  coming  to  the 
point.  He  asked  him  if  the  Viceroy  of  Na- 
ples and  the  Spanish  expected  battle,  to 
which  he  answered  yes;  that  by  his  head2 

1  "  It  certainly  ought  to  be  acknowledged" — says  the  Loyal 
Servant,  wiser  in  his  generation  than  Lieutenant  Morrison 
(Zadkiel),  and  those  who  consult  his  almanac,  are  in  this — "  by 
all  true  Christians  that  God  alone  can  see  into  futurity  ;  yet  this 
astrologer  of  Carpi  said  so  many  things  and  to  so  many  different 
people,  which  afterwards  proved  true,  that  he  turned  the  heads 
of  a  number." 

8  "  Cursed  be  the  hour,"  says  the  Loyal  Servant,  while  re- 


Spotless  anti 


battle  would  be  given  on  Good  Friday  or 
Easter  Day,  and  that  there  would  be  much 
bloodshed.  The  duke  asked  him  again  who 
would  gain  it.  His  answer  was,  that  the 
field  would  remain  to  the  French,  that  the 
Spaniards  would  lose  more  there  than  they 
had  ever  lost  in  one  battle  before ;  but  that 
the  loss  of  the  French  would  be  as  great  on 
account  of  the  number  and  quality  of  the 
brave  men  they  would  leave  there.  He  sur- 
prised everybody  by  the  assurance  of  his  an- 
swers and  the  good  sense  which  he  showed. 

Chabannes  asked  him  if  he  were  among 
those  who  would  die  at  that  time. 

"No,"  said  the  little  man,  "you  have 
still  a  dozen  years  to  live,  but  you  will  die 
in  another  battle." 

He  said  as  much  to  the  Lord  of  Humber- 
court,  and  announced  to  the  Captain  Riche- 
bourg  that  he  was  doomed  to  perish  by 
lightning.  Finally,  all  the  company  ques- 
tioned him,  and  he  answered  all  very  wisely 
and  pertinently.  Bayard  laughed  at  him, 
or  rather  mocked  him,  but  the  Duke  of  Ne- 
mours wished  that  he  also  should  question 

lating  this  singular  story,  "alas!  whereof  he  prophesied  so 
truly."  The  Duke  of  Nemours,  who  in  these  chronicles  is  always 
referred  to  as  gentle,  good,  and  kind,  seems  to  have  been  sin- 
cerely loved  by  all  those  about  him. 


Htfe  of  Uaarfc 


the  astrologer  as  to  his  future.  The  knight 
answered  him,  laughing,  that  he  did  not 
mind  the  trouble  of  questioning  him,  but 
that  he  knew  well  enough  without  asking 
that  he  should  never  become  a  great  man. 
However,  he  spoke  to  the  astrologer. 

"  My  master,"  said  he,  "  tell  me  if  I  shall 
be  a  man  of  consequence  some  day,  and  if 
I  shall  become  rich." 

The  other,  after  scanning  his  face  and 
looking  in  his  hand,  according  to  custom, 
answered  him:  "  You  shall  be  richer  in  hon- 
our and  virtue  than  ever  French  captain  was 
before  you,  but  you  shall  have  scarcely  any 
of  fortune's  goods,  so  do  not  seek  them. 
You  shall  serve  another  King  of  France  be- 
sides the  one  who  now  reigns,  and  whom 
you  serve,  who  will  love  and  esteem  you 
much;  but  the  envy  of  those  surrounding 
him  will  prevent  his  giving  you  great  riches, 
or  promoting  you  to  the  honour  that  your 
merit  will  have  deserved  :  always  believe  that 
the  fault  will  not  be  his." 

But,"  replied  Bayard,  "  shall  I  escape 
from  this  -battle,  which  you  declare  will  be 
so  bloody  ?  " 

'  Yes,"  replied  the  oracle;  "  but  a  dozen 
years  hence,  at  the  most,  you  will  die  in 
action,  and  of  a  cannon  shot;  in  no  other 


192    Spotless  an& 


way,  for  you  stand  first  in  the  hearts  of  all 
your  soldiers,  who  would  die  the  last  man 
to  save  your  life. 

After  he  had  answered  everybody's  ques- 
tions, perceiving  that  the  Duke  of  Nemours 
was  more  friendly  to  Chabannes  and  Bayard 
than  to  any  of  the  others,  he  drew  them  on 
one  side,  and  said  to  them:  "Your  prince 
over  there  appears  to  be  very  dear  to  you  ; 
he  deserves  it.  I  have  never  seen  such  a 
happy  countenance;  but  take  care  of  him  on 
the  day  of  battle;  I  see  that  he  is  threatened 
to  remain  there.  I  am  almost  sure  that  he 
will  die  there,  but  if  he  escapes  he  will  be 
one  of  the  greatest  men  that  France  has  yet 
produced." 

These  proceedings  were  interrupted  by 
the  arrival  of  an  adventurer,  an  ensign  in 
Captain  Molard's  band.  This  man,  named 
Jacquin  Caumont,  was  a  brave  soldier,  but 
coarse  and  vicious.  He  also  wished  to  take 
part  in  the  amusement,  and  know  his  good 
fortune. 

"  Come  here,"  he  said  to  the  astrologer 
in  insolent  tones,  "and  tell  me  my  good 
fortune." 

Caumont  was  rebuked  by  the  nobles  for 
his  bad  manners  :  they  made  him  apologize 
to  the  astrologer,  and  told  him  to  question 


of  laaarir  '93 


him  more  civilly  if  he  wanted  to  know  any- 
thing. The  old  man  was  annoyed  at  first, 
and  would  not  reply  to  him;  but  he  re- 
lented, and  after  examining  his  face  and 
hands,  he  said:  "  Do  not  ask  me  anything, 
for  I  have  nothing  but  bad  fortune  for  you." 

Caumont  pressed  him  to  tell  him  what  it 
was. 

"  If  you  will  know,  I  must  tell  you,"  said 
the  astrologer.  "  Look  to  your  conscience 
quickly,  for  in  less  than  three  months  from 
this  you  shall  be  hanged  till  you  are  dead." 

All  the  company  laughed  immoderately 
at  this  prediction,  but  it  was  verified  shortly 
afterwards,  as  we  shall  see;  also  Bayard's 
death  in  1524,  that  of  Humbercourt  in  1522, 
and  that  of  Chabannes  in  1525. 

What  we  have  just  related  happened  at 
the  end  of  January,  1511,  at  Carpi,  whence 
the  Duke  of  Nemours  went  to  Final  ;  and 
from  there,  waiting  news  of  the  Spanish 
army,  he  went  to  spend  a  few  days  at  Fer- 
rara.  On  returning  to  his  camp,  he  learnt 
that  it  was  time  to  go  to  Bologna  in  all  dili- 
gence, for  that  otherwise  the  town  and  gar- 
rison would  be  lost.  He  assembled  his  cap- 
tains together,  and  held  a  council  of  war 
with  them,  when  it  was  resolved  to  set  out 
without  losing  a  moment  to  raise  the  siege. 
13 


194     &otlegs  ana 


This  they  did,  and  the  first  news  that  greeted 
them  on  their  arrival  at  Bologna  was  to  the 
effect  that  the  Venetians  had  entered  again 
into  Brescia  by  surprise,  as  we  shall  proceed 
to  relate. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

BRESCIA  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
towns  in  Europe.  Strong,  rich,  and 
remarkably  well  situated,  its  climate  is  de- 
lightful, and  its  soil  fertile  in  all  that  is  nec- 
essary to  support  life.  Three  valleys,  one 
stretching  out  from  Germany  and  the  other 
two  from  Friuli,  join  in  its  territory,  and  by 
one  or  the  other  of  these  valleys  the  town 
can  always  be  supplied  with  men  and  pro- 
visions. 

The  King  of  France  had  been  master  of  it 
since  May,  1509,  and  had  placed  the  Count 
of  Lude  there  as  governor,  and  a  Biscayan 
gentleman  named  H6rigoye  as  captain  of  the 
castle.  The  Venetians  wished  for  nothing 
so  much  as  the  recapture  of  this  place,  not 
only  because  of  its  importance,  but  also  be- 
cause from  there  they  could  cut  off  pro- 
visions from  Verona,  and  oppose  any  con- 
voys that  might  come  from  Milan.  Of 
course,  having  once  possessed  the  town, 
they  had  many  friends  within  its  walls,  but 
no  one  dared  stretch  out  a  helping  hand  to 


'96     &otUss  antr 


them,  for  the  late  Baron  of  Conti  and  the 
knight  Bayard  had  once  beheaded  one  of 
their  magnates,  the  Count  of  Mortneugne, 
for  preparing  a  surprise  for  them,  and  this 
deterred  the  inhabitants  from  again  attempt- 
ing to  assist  them.  But  what  the  Venetians 
never  hoped  to  attain  by  force  of  arms,  or 
spies,  or  treason,  a  quarrel  between  two 
youngsters  brought  about,  and  occasioned 
their  reentering  Brescia,  and  the  slaughter 
of  a  great  number  of  French.  So  true  is  it 
that  great  events  often  spring  from  small 
causes. 

The  Count  of  Gambara  and  the  Count 
Louis  Avogara  were  two  of  the  principal 
nobles  of  the  town.  Each  had  a  son  of 
about  the  same  age,  who  one  day  quarrelled 
and  fought.  Gambara,  a  little  stronger  than 
his  opponent,  wounded  him  dangerously. 
The  Count  Avogara  knew  not  how  to  be 
revenged,  so  he  went  to  Milan  to  demand 
justice  of  the  Duke  of  Nemours  ;  but  whether 
the  wounded  man  was  in  the  wrong,  or 
whether  the  Duke  of  Nemours,  being  occu- 
pied with  more  important  matters,  had  not 
time  to  attend  to  his  case,  certain  it  is  that 
Avogara  did  not  get  satisfaction,  and  his 
anger  led  him  to  revenge  himself  upon  all 
the  French  at  the  risk  of  what  might  happen 


Hife  of  iSagartr  197 

to  himself.  He  dissembled  for  some  time, 
and  then,  pretending  to  go  into  the  country 
on  business,  he  went  to  Venice,  and  held  a 
conference  with  the  Doge  and  the  council- 
lors, and  explained  his  plot  and  the  means 
of  executing  it. 

They  entirely  agreed  with  him,  and  prom- 
ised that  on  the  day  named,  the  prove"ditore, 
Andrea  Gritti,  should  be  before  the  town 
with  from  7,00x3  to  8,000  men,  and  a  num- 
ber of  armed  peasants  from  the  mountains. 
Avogara  returned  to  Brescia,  and  managed 
to  persuade  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the 
town  of  the  justice  of  his  cause,  and  the 
plot  was  crowned  with  the  greatest  success. 
The  Count  de  Lude  was  always  on  the 
watch,  but  he  had  not  enough  soldiers  to 
resist  a  general  revolt.  On  the  appointed 
day  the  Venetian  army  came  to  give  the 
alarm  at  one  of  the  gates,  and  while  they 
were  occupied  in  defending  it,  a  party  of 
troops  broke  the  iron  bars  of  a  drain  at  the 
other  end  of  the  town,  and  entered  in  a  great 
number,  crying,  "Marco!  Marco!"  At 
this  signal  the  Count  Avogara  and  all  his 
accomplices  appeared  in  arms,  and  placed 
the  garrison  between  two  fires,  and  immedi- 
ately the  gates  were  opened  to  the  troops 
without.  The  Count  of  Lude,  seeing  him- 


Spotless  anto 


self  surprised  and  betrayed,  sounded  the  re- 
treat, and  retired  as  best  he  could  to  the 
castle,  abandoning  horses,  arms,  and  bag- 
gage. All  those  belonging  to  the  garrison 
found  within  the  town  were  murdered;  they 
did  not  deign  to  take  a  single  prisoner.  The 
Count  of  Gambara  found  the  means  to  save 
himself,  and  very  fortunately,  for  as  soon  as 
his  enemy  saw  himself  the  stronger  the  first 
thing  that  he  did  was  to  go  to  all  the  houses 
belonging  to  the  family  of  Gambara,  and  to 
plunder  and  burn  them. 

The  conqueror,  feeling  that  it  was  useless 
to  have  the  town  without  the  castle,  sent  a 
trumpet  to  summon  those  who  were  inside 
to  give  themselves  up;  but  the  brave  men 
they  had  to  do  with  made  no  reply,  although 
from  their  large  number  their  provisions 
could  not  last  long.  However,  the  prov£di- 
tore  cannonaded  the  castle  vigorously,  and 
made  a  large  breach.  He  had  two  large  ma- 
chines made  of  wood,  capable  of  containing 
100  men,  to  approach  the  breach. 

The  Count  of  Lude  had  found  means  to 
send  a  man  to  the  Duke  of  Nemours.  The 
messenger  had  the  good  fortune  to  get  away 
safely,  although  all  the  approaches  were  well 
guarded.  He  informed  the  duke  of  what 
had  happened,  and  told  him  that  if  he  did 


Htfe  of  Bagarir  199 

not  send  assistance  to  the  Count  of  Lude, 
the  castle  could  not  hold  out  more  than 
eight  days.  The  siege  of  Bologna  had  just 
been  raised  and  the  Spaniards  beaten,  and 
the  duke  was  so  grieved  at  the  loss  of  Bres- 
cia that  he  determined  to  go  and  retake  it. 
He  called  his  captains  together,  and  in- 
formed them  of  the  sad  event,  and  they 
quite  agreed  with  him  that  they  could  not 
afford  to  lose  this  beautiful  and  interesting 
Italian  possession  of  theirs.  They  consid- 
ered that  the  recapture  would  be  easy,  pro- 
vided that  the  castle  held  out  till  their 
arrival,  and  without  losing  any  time  they 
set  out  at  once  for  Brescia. 

The  Prov^ditore  Gritti  was  not  idle.  He 
had  no  doubt  that  as  soon  as  the  Duke  of 
Nemours  heard  of  the  capture  of  this  place 
he  would  hasten  to  take  it.  He  wrote  with 
all  speed  to  the  Seignory  of  Venice  to  in- 
form them  of  the  success  that  he  had  had, 
and  spoke  of  the  danger  he  should  be  in  if 
a  large  French  army  arrived,  that  his  forces 
were  not  large  enough  to  await  it  in  the 
town,  much  less  to  give  battle  to  it;  that 
on  the  keeping  of  Brescia  depended  the  re- 
taking of  all  the  places  that  they  had  lost ; 
and  he  concluded  with  a  wish  that  they 
would  speedily  send  him  assistance  suffi- 


200         o*l*88  antr 


ciently  powerful  to  put  him  in  a  position  to 
profit  by  his  victory. 

The  Seignory  was  too  well  satisfied  at  this 
first  success  not  to  try  to  push  it  further. 
Orders  were  sent  to  the  Captain-General 
John  Paul  Baillon  to  march  night  and  day 
to  Brescia  with  400  men-at-arms  and  4,000 
foot-soldiers.  Baillon  executed  the  order  of 
the  republic  without  delay;  but  the  Duke 
of  Nemours,  as  diligent  as  he,  so  hastened 
his  march  that  his  men  got  over  as  much 
ground  in  the  day  as  a  body  of  cavalry 
would  have  been  able  to  do,  and  he  arrived 
first  at  a  castle  named  Valege,  which  the 
Venetian  general  wished  to  make  himself 
master  of  before  entering  Brescia,  and  where 
there  was  a  French  garrison.  The  time  that 
the  Venetian  lost  there  made  him  miss  that 
which  was  worth  having,  and  gave  to  the 
French  the  means  of  gaining  the  town  be- 
fore him,  and  of  attacking  him  in  a  narrow 
defile. 

The  Venetians  took  with  them  six  pieces 
of  artillery,  which  they  fired  upon  the  French 
vanguard,  led  by  Bayard  and  another  valiant 
captain,  a  standard-bearer  of  Teligny's  com- 
pany, who  was  killed  there. 

Bayard,  who  had  had  the  ague  all  the 
night,  and  who  was  on  horseback  in  his 


Htfe  of  iUagattr  201 

night-gown,1  seeing  himself  alone  entrusted 
with  the  attack,  put  on  the  corslet  of  an  ad- 
venturer, then  mounted  an  excellent  horse, 
and,  followed  by  Teligny,  without  waiting 
for  the  greater  part  of  his  vanguard,  which 
was  still  at  a  distance,  charged  the  enemy 
with  his  ordinary  valour,  and  held  out  against 
them  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  notwithstand- 
ing the  inequality  of  numbers.  He  was  soon 
joined  by  his  troop ;  but  the  Venetian  gen- 
eral had  no  sooner  seen  them  assembled  than 
he  turned  his  back  with  so  much  speed  that 
those  who  pursued  him  could  not  reach  him. 
However,  all  his  foot-soldiers,  and  nearly  all 
his  men-at-arms,  remained  upon  the  field 
with  his  artillery.  News  of  this  happy 
event,  due  to  the  knight  Bayard  alone,  was 
soon  taken  to  the  French  camp,  and  caused 
general  rejoicing  both  there  and  at  the  cas- 
tle, which,  by  continual  firing,  testified  its 
joy. 

The  Duke  of  Nemours  and  the  captains 
regretted  that  they  were  not  present  during 
these  proceedings,  but  they  were  not  at  all 

1  In  his  night-gown  ;  that  is,  not  as  we  now  understand  it, 
but  in  a  velvet  robe  de  chambre.     "  He  was  not  armed,  but  had 
on  a  black  velvet  riding  dress,"  says  the   Loyal  Servant.     It 
was  such  a  gown  as  Hamlet  wore  when,  rising  in  the  night,  he 
discovered  the  treachery  of  Guildenstern  and  Rosencrantz — 
"  Up  from  my  cabin, 
My  sea-gown  scarf'd  about  me." — Act  v.  sc.  ii. 


202    gutless  anfc 


jealous  of  our  hero;  the  admiration  they  had 
for  him  was  mixed  with  no  shade  of  envy. 

The  inhabitants  of  Brescia  were  in  a  gen- 
eral consternation,  foreseeing  what  must 
happen  sooner  or  later.  They  begged  the 
prov£ditore,  Messer  Andrea  Gritti,  to  leave 
their  town  that  they  might  give  it  up  to  the 
French;  but  he  refused  them  constantly, 
and  finally  repented  that  he  had  done  so. 

The  Duke  of  Nemours,  who  was  still 
twenty  miles  from  the  town  when  the  Vene- 
tians were  defeated,  went  the  following  day 
to  the  foot  of  the  castle,  having  met  in  a  vil- 
lage on  the  road  a  number  of  Venetian  foot- 
soldiers,  who  tried  to  stand  their  ground, 
but  were  speedily  cut  in  pieces.  On  his 
arrival  several  of  the  French  captains  went 
to  the  castle  to  reassure  the  Count  of  Lude 
and  the  Captain  H^rigoye,  who,  by  way  of 
rejoicing,  sent  about  twenty  volleys  of  can- 
non amongst  the  townspeople,  to  whom  this 
sort  of  joy  was  doubtless  anything  but  pleas- 
ing. The  next  day  the  prince  and  all  the 
captains  assembled  at  the  castle,  and  there 
determined  to  give  a  general  assault  to  the 
town. 

The  French  general  knew  that  there  were 
about  8,  cxx>  regular  troops,  and  12,000  or 
14,000  peasants  or  militiamen  in  the  town, 


Htfe  of  iSagarfc  203 

which  was  well  fortified,  whilst  he  had  only 
about  12,000  men  in  all.  These,  however, 
were  picked  troops,  as  the  surplus  had  re- 
mained at  Bologna.  They  went  down,  with- 
out trouble,  from  the  castle  to  the  town. 
There  were  no  ditches  which  crossed  the 
marsh,  but  a  tolerably  good,  newly  made 
rampart.  All  being  thus  arranged,  and 
every  one  showing  the  greatest  ardour, 
joined  to  the  confidence  and  friendship 
which  they  had  for  the  Duke  of  Nemours, 
the  assault  was  ordered  for  nine  o'clock  in 
the  morning  on  the  following  day.  The 
plan  was,  that  the  Lord  of  Molard  should 
lead  the  first,  that  the  Captain  Herigoye, 
with  his  foot-soldiers,  should  begin  to  skir- 
mish; after  him  should  come  the  Captain 
Jacob  with  the  2,000  lansquenets  that  he 
commanded,  and  after  him  Bonnet,  Mau- 
giron,  the  bastard  of  Cleves,  and  others, 
with  their  men,  amounting  to  7,000  in  all; 
that  the  duke  with  the  gentlemen  under  the 
orders  of  the  Seneschal  of  Normandy,  and 
the  greater  part  of  the  men-at-arms,  all  on 
foot  and  fully  armed,  should  march  by  the 
side  of  the  7,000  men  before  named;  that 
last  of  all  D'Alere  with  300  horses  should 
post  himself  at  the  gate  of  St.  John  (which 
was  the  only  one  remaining  open,  all  the 


2°4    gjpotlegg  anfc  jf  earless 

others  being  walled  up),  and  hinder  people 
from  leaving  the  town. 

Chabannes  was  not  able  to  be  there,  hav- 
ing been  wounded  in  the  head  the  day  be- 
fore by  a  piece  of  stone  splintered  by  a 
cannon  ball  fired  at  the  castle  from  the  town. 
This  plan  of  attack  was  agreed  to  by  every 
one  but  Bayard,  who  was  not  quite  satisfied 
with  it.  He  considered  that  as  the  Lord  of 
Molard  was  to  lead  the  attack,  he  would 
have  all  the  picked  men  of  the  enemy  to  re- 
sist, "  and  as  in  this  position,"  said  he,  "  he 
cannot  possibly  retreat  (as  I  am  sure  he 
would  not  think  of  doing),  I  advise  that  he 
shall  have  150  men-at-arms  to  support  his 
foot-soldiers." 

'  What  you  say  is  very  just  and  true,"  re- 
plied the  Duke  of  Nemours,  "  but  what  cap- 
tain would  put  himself  at  the  mercy  of  their 
arquebuses  ? " 

"  I  will,"  replied  Bayard,  "  if  you  approve 
of  the  plan,  and  I  will  answer  for  it  that  the 
company  I  command  will  do  such  honour 
and  service  to  the  king  as  shall  be  well 
worthy  of  appreciation." 

Every  one  looked  at  his  neighbour  in 
astonishment  at  this  dangerous  proposition ; 
but  Bayard  was  persistent,  and  no  one  was 
inclined  to  dispute  his  commission  with  him. 


Hife  af  iSagariJ  205 

Everything  being  thus  settled,  the  Duke  of 
Nemours,  touched  with  the  fate  of  the  poor 
inhabitants  who  were  going  to  be  sacked  and 
massacred,  thought  they  ought  to  make  one 
more  effort  to  save  the  town  and  its  people 
from  the  evils  they  would  otherwise  have  to 
undergo,  and  to  see  if  they  would  give 
themselves  up. 

This  kindness  was  much  approved  of,  and 
it  was  agreed  that  before  the  attack  on  the 
next  day  they  should  send  a  herald  to  sum- 
mon the  townspeople  to  a  parley.  This  was 
done.  The  herald  began  sounding  his  trum- 
pet at  the  gate  of  the  town,  and  went  on 
thus  to  the  rampart,  where  he  found  the 
Prov£ditore  Gritti,  and  all  the  captains,  who, 
without  allowing  him  to  enter  the  town,  re- 
ceived his  message,  which  was,  that  if  they 
chose  to  give  up  the  town  their  lives  should 
be  spared ;  that  otherwise,  if  they  sustained 
a  siege,  they  must  all  expect  nothing  short 
of  death. 

The  answer  was  that  the  town  belonged 
to  the  Seignory  of  Venice,  that  it  wished 
still  to  remain  in  the  possession  of  that 
power,  and  that  no  Frenchman  should  put 
foot  inside  it  as  long  as  they  were  on  guard. 
The  inhabitants  thought  very  differently, 
and  would  willingly  have  given  themselves 


206         otiejss  aitfc 


up;  but  they  were  not  consulted.  The 
herald  went  up  to  the  castle  with  his  an- 
swer. The  Duke  of  Nemours,  who  in  the 
interval  had  settled  the  whole  order  of  bat- 
tle, cried  :  "  Let  us  go,  then,  my  friends  and 
companions;  in  the  name  of  God  and  St. 
Denis  let  us  show  them  what  we  can  do." 
At  that  moment  he  caused  such  a  noise  of 
clarions  and  trumpets  and  drums  to  be  made, 
that  it  was  enough  to  make  the  hair  of  the 
boldest  stand  on  end.  The  enemy,  hearing 
this  noise,  answered  with  many  volleys  of 
cannon  shot,  one  of  which  went  right  into 
the  midst  of  the  duke's  company,  but  hap- 
pily without  killing  or  wounding  one 
man. 

The  march  was  headed,  as  had  been  set- 
tled, by  the  Captains  Molard  and  Herigoye 
with  their  men,  Bayard  with  his  men-at- 
arms  forming  the  two  wings.  The  gentle- 
men of  Bayard's  company  were  all  picked 
men,  and  noble  and  valiant  soldiers.  The 
greater  number  of  them  had  been  comman- 
ders themselves,  but  preferred  the  honour  of 
serving  under  Bayard  to  having  troops  of 
their  own  to  command.  These  troops 
reached  the  first  rampart,  behind  which 
were  their  enemies,  who  defended  the  ap- 
proach with  their  artillery  and  arquebuses, 


Hife  of  ISagarfc  207 

which  strewed  shot  like  hail  amongst  the 
French. 

Both  sides  fought  like  lions,  the  French 
crying,  "France!  France!  Bayard!  Bay- 
ard!" and  those  in  the  town,  "Marco! 
Marco!"  with  noise  enough  to  drown  the 
roar  of  the  cannon. 

The  Prove"ditore  Gritti,  to  encourage  his 
men,  said  to  them:  "  Hold  fast,  comrades. 
The  French  have  only  the  first  rush ;  they 
will  be  tired  presently,  and  if  this  Bayard 
were  defeated,  all  the  rest  would  lose  heart. " 
However,  the  attack  became  increasingly 
furious  on  both  sides.  The  French  began 
to  drive  back  the  Venetians,  and  made  them 
retreat  a  little.  Bayard,  perceiving  it,  cried : 
"  Courage,  companions,  let  us  go  in,  they 
are  ours."  The  good  knight  was  the  first 
to  cross  the  rampart,  and  was  soon  followed 
by  his  whole  troop,  to  the  number  of  more 
than  a  thousand,  who  gained  the  first  fort ; 
but  it  cost  both  sides  much  blood,  the 
French,  however,  much  less  than  the  Vene- 
tians. Bayard,  especially,  paid  dearly  for 
the  honour  he  had  gained  in  leaping  the 
rampart.  He  received  such  a  terrible  pike 
thrust  in  the  top  of  his  thigh  that  a  spear- 
head remained  broken  short  off  in  his  flesh. 
The  pain  he  felt  was  so  great  that  he  thought 


208       jotlegg  anfc 


he  was  dying.  "  Captain  Molard,"  he  said, 
"  take  the  command  of  my  men;  the  town 
is  gained,  but  I  shall  never  enter  it.  I  am 
wounded  to  the  death."  The  blood  was 
streaming  from  his  wound,  and  two  of  his 
men  tore  up  their  shirts  to  staunch  it,  and 
then  carried  him  out  of  the  fray  as  quietly 
as  they  could. 

But  the  Lord  of  Molard,  furious  at  the 
loss  of  his  men,  swore,  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
that  he  would  have  vengeance,  and  he  and 
his  whole  troop  threw  themselves  upon  their 
enemies,  like  tigers  upon  their  prey,  and 
overthrew  all  who  came  in  their  way.  The 
Duke  of  Nemours,  learning  that  the  first 
fort  was  taken,  but  that  Bayard  was  mor- 
tally wounded,  felt  as  much  grief  as  if  he 
himself  had  received  the  blow.  '  Let  us 
go,  my  friends  and  comrades,"  he  cried, 
"  let  us  go  and  avenge  the  death  of  the  most 
accomplished  knight  that  ever  lived.  Follow 
me." 

On  his  arrival,  the  Venetians,  already 
driven  back,  left  the  rampart,  and,  with  the 
idea  of  reentering  the  town,  tried  to  raise 
the  bridge,  which  would  have  been  a  great 
hindrance  to  the  French.  But  they  fortu- 
nately had  no  time  to  do  what  they  intended  ; 
the  French  pursued  them  so  quickly  that 


of  iSagartr          2°9 


they  entered  together  pell-mell,  and  arriving 
in  this  manner  in  the  great  square,  found  all 
the  cavalry  and  infantry  ranged  ready  for 
battle.  The  lansquenets  and  the  French 
foot-soldiers  were  very  brave,  and  distin- 
guished themselves  particularly  by  their 
feats  of  valour. 

Captain  Bonnet  commenced  the  attack, 
which  was  furious  indeed.  The  poor  French 
had  not  only  to  fight  against  the  men,  but 
to  stand  the  attacks  of  the  women  of  the 
town,  who  from  the  windows  of  the  houses 
threw  stones,  bricks,  boiling  water,  and 
pieces  of  furniture  upon  them.  In  this  bat- 
tle, which  lasted  scarcely  half  an  hour,  the 
Venetians  were  totally  defeated.  From 
7,000  to  8,000  lay  dead  in  the  square,  and 
the  rest  sought  safety  in  flight  :  but  from 
street  to  street  they  met  soldiers,  who  gave 
them  no  quarter.  The  prov^ditore,  the 
Count  Avogara,  author  of  the  treason,  and 
all  the  captains,  seeing  the  rout  become  gen- 
eral, ran  towards  the  gate  of  St.  John,  cry- 
ing "  Marco!  "  and  had  the  bridge  lowered; 
but  they  were  driven  back  by  D'Alegre  and 
his  300  men-at-arms,  who  charged  them  so 
vigorously  that  they  overthrew  them  nearly 
all.  The  prov6ditore,  seeing  himself  pur- 
sued, took  refuge  in  a  house,  where  he  was 
14 


210    gpotiess  anfc  jfeariess 


made  prisoner  with  Avogara.  Such  a  terri- 
ble and  complete  carnage  had  not  been  seen 
for  a  long  time.  The  Venetians  reckoned 
their  dead  at  above  20,000  men,  soldiers  and 
townspeople,  while  the  French  did  not  lose 
fifty.  Afterwards  the  French  began  the  pil- 
lage of  the  place,  which  was  immense,  and 
the  desire  for  which  carried  them  even  unto 
the  convents,  where  the  soldiers  gave  them- 
selves up  to  all  sorts  of  excesses.  But  the 
great  value  of  the  plunder  was  a  misfortune 
for  the  French,  for  the  soldiers,  being  en- 
riched by  it,  deserted  in  bands,  and  returned 
to  their  homes,  which  left  the  army  much 
weakened,  and  in  a  short  time  led  to  the 
loss  of  all  the  places  the  French  held  in 
Italy. 

Bayard,  mortally  wounded,  as  he  sup- 
posed, at  the  beginning  of  the  action,  was 
placed  by  two  of  his  soldiers  on  a  wooden 
gate,  which  they  took  from  the  first  house 
they  came  to;  and  having  withdrawn  him 
from  the  crowd,  they  carried  him  into  a 
beautiful  large  house  at  a  little  distance,  be- 
longing to  a  gentleman  who  had  deserted  it, 
leaving  his  wife  and  two  young  and  beauti- 
ful daughters  to  the  care  of  Providence. 
The  lady  herself  opened  the  gate,  and  re- 
ceived Bayard  as  a  dying  man.  He  ordered 


Uife  of 


lus  two  soldiers  to  station  themselves  at  the 
gate,  and  on  pain  of  death  not  to  admit  any 
but  his  men. 

"  I  am  sure,"  said  he  to  the  men,  "  that 
when  they  know  I  am  lodged  here  they  will 
not  force  a  passage;  and  I  will  indemnify 
you  for  your  loss  of  the  plunder." 

His  two  soldiers,  led  by  the  lady,  carried 
him  into  a  beautiful  apartment,  and  as  soon 
as  they  arrived  there  she  threw  herself  on 
her  knees,  and  spoke  to  him  in  these  words : 
"  Noble  lord,  I  offer  you  this  house  and  all 
that  it  contains;  all  is  yours  by  the  laws  of 
war.  I  only  ask  you  one  favour,  which  is 
that  you  will  preserve  the  lives  and  honour 
of  myself  and  my  two  daughters." 

"  Madam,"  said  Bayard,  scarcely  able  to 
speak,  "  I  do  not  know  whether  I  shall  re- 
cover from  the  wound  I  have  received,  but 
as  long  as  I  live  neither  you  nor  your  daugh- 
ters shall  sustain  more  injury  than  myself; 
only  take  care  of  them,  and  do  not  let  them 
appear.  I  promise  you  that  no  one  shall 
enter  the  house  contrary  to  your  wish.  I 
am  not  the  man  to  plunder  you ;  on  the 
contrary,  I  promise  you  all  the  respect  and 
friendship  in  my  power.  But  the  most  ur- 
gent need  now  is  to  procure  me  some  help, 
and  that  quickly." 


anil 


The  lady,  relieved  by  the  knight's  words, 
went  herself,  accompanied  by  one  of  his  sol- 
diers, to  look  for  a  surgeon  who  lived  two 
houses  distant  from  her.  As  soon  as  he 
arrived  he  examined  the  wound,  which  was 
large  and  deep,  but  happily,  as  he  declared, 
not  mortal.  He  applied  the  first  dressing, 
and  when  that  was  removed,  the  Duke  of 
Nemours  sent  his  surgeon,  with  orders  not 
to  leave  the  invalid.  Indeed,  the  surgeon 
treated  him  so  well  that  in  less  than  a 
month  and  a  half  he  was  fit  to  get  on  horse- 
back. 

As  soon  as  Bayard's  wound  was  dressed, 
he  asked  his  hostess  where  her  husband  was. 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  replied,  weeping  bit- 
terly, "  whether  he  is  dead  or  alive,  but  I 
believe  he  has  taken  refuge  in  a  convent, 
where  he  has  many  friends.'' 

'  Try  to  find  out,  madam,"  said  Bayard, 
41  and  I  will  promise  you  to  have  him  brought 
home  in  safety." 

When  they  learnt  the  place  of  his  retreat, 
Bayard  sent  his  maitre  d'hdtel  with  two 
archers,  who  accompanied  him  into  the  sick 
man's  room,  by  whom  he  was  received  with 
a  good  grace  ;  and  the  assurances  of  safety 
and  protection  that  had  been  given  to  the 
lady  were  renewed  to  him.  We  shall  see 


Hife  of  ISagarfc 


that  Bayard  kept  his  word  to  them  even 
more  strictly  than  they  could  have  hoped. 

After  the  glorious  but  bloody  recapture 
of  Brescia  by  the  French,  the  Duke  of  Ne- 
mours' first  care  was  to  establish  order  as 
far  as  possible.  He  began  by  sending  or- 
ders that  all  the  soldiers  were  to  leave  the 
churches  and  convents,  and  that  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  town  were  to  return  to  their 
homes;  next  he  gave  orders  that  the  dead 
bodies  should  be  taken  outside  the  town. 
The  number  was  found  to  exceed  22,000. 
He  filled  up  the  officers'  places  which  had 
become  vacant,  and  did  all  that  prudence 
dictated  to  restore  good  order  everywhere, 
after  which  he  brought  the  Count  Avogara, 
and  Thomas  Del  Duca  and  Jerome  de  Rive, 
his  principal  accomplices,  to  trial.  They 
were  condemned  to  be  beheaded  and  after- 
wards quartered. 

During  the  seven  or  eight  days  that  the 
duke  remained  in  the  town  he  did  not  allow 
one  to  pass  without  going  to  see  our  hero 
once  or  twice,  and  encouraging  him  to  get 
well  quickly.  "  Because,"  said  he,  "  we 
shall  be  obliged  to  give  battle  to  the  Span- 
iards in  a  month  from  this  time,  and  I  would 
give  all  the  world  for  your  presence  at  that 
time." 


214         otless  anir 


"  If  you  desire  my  presence  there,"  re- 
plied -Bayard,  "  I  assure  you  I  should  like 
nothing  better,  and,  God  helping  me,  I  will 
be  there,  even  if  I  am  carried  in  a  litter.  '  ' 

The  duke,  before  leaving  the  town,  made 
Bayard  many  presents  ;  amongst  other  things 
he  gave  him  500  crowns,  which  he  divided 
between  his  two  soldiers,  having  promised 
that  he  would  make  up  to  them  for  the  loss 
of  their  share  of  the  plunder. 

When  the  king  learnt  that  the  town  of 
Brescia  had  been  reduced  to  submission,  he 
felt  very  great  joy,  and  wished  more  strongly 
than  ever  to  pursue  the  victory,  and  to  drive 
the  Spaniards  entirely  from  Lombardy,  for 
he  judged  that,  as  long  as  they  were  there, 
his  state  of  Milan  would  never  be  in  safety. 
He  wrote  letter  after  letter  to  his  nephew, 
the  Duke  of  Nemours,  who  saw  the  matter 
in  the  same  light  as  he  did.  The  king  told 
him,  amongst  other  things,  that  he  could 
not  defray  the  expenses  of  the  foot-soldiers 
whom  he  had  hired  without  levying  taxes 
on  his  people,  which  he  feared  doing  more 
than  anything  else  in  the  world;  and  he 
added  that  he  knew  the  King  of  England 
meditated  a  descent  upon  some  province  of 
France;  that  the  Swiss  on  their  side  had 
evil  designs  upon  the  country;  and  he 


Etfe  of  13agari»  2I5 

always  concluded  by  wishing  the  Spaniards 
sent  so  far  away  that  they  should  never  re- 
turn again. 

The  duke,  as  well  to  obey  the  king  as  be- 
cause he  himself  saw  the  necessity  for  a  bat- 
tle which  might  put  an  end  to  the  war,  set 
out  from  Brescia  with  all  his  captains  and 
horse  and  foot-soldiers,  and  went  to  Bologna, 
where  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  arrived  soon 
after,  and,  in  conjunction  with  Chabannes, 
was  entrusted  with  the  charge  of  the  van- 
guard. The  French  met  the  Spanish  army 
at  a  few  miles  from  Bologna.  It  was  one  of 
the  finest  armies  on  record,  not  only  from 
the  number,  but  the  superiority  of  its  troops, 
and  on  account  of  the  richness  of  the  equip- 
ments and  the  beauty  of  the  horses.  Don 
Raymond  of  Cardona,  the  viceroy  of  Naples, 
was  commander-in-chief ;  he  had  in  his  own 
particular  company  1,200  or  1,400  men-at- 
arms,  armed  cap-a-pie;  besides  these  he 
had  12,000  foot  -  soldiers — that  is  to  say, 
2,000  Italians,  under  the  orders  of  a  captain 
name  Ramessot,  and  10,000  Spaniards,  Bis- 
cayans,  or  Neapolitans,  commanded  by  Don 
Pedro  of  Navarre,  who  had  formerly  led 
these  troops  into  Barbary,  where  they  had 
gained  him  two  or  three  battles.  All  these 
troops  were  accomplished  soldiers,  and  men 


216 


antr 


to  be  trusted.  They  had  for  two  years  done 
nothing  but  wander  about  Lombardy,  which 
is  a  country  abundant  in  provisions  and  pas- 
turage, and  where  both  men  and  horses  had 
had  everything  they  could  desire. 

For  three  or  four  weeks  the  two  armies 
kept  continually  at  five  or  six  miles  from 
each  other.  The  Spaniards  took  care  to  en- 
camp themselves  to  their  advantage,  and 
often  skirmished  with  the  French,  some- 
times one  party,  sometimes  the  other,  gain- 
ing the  advantage. 

But  notwithstanding  the  situation  of  the 
Spaniards,  and  the  flourishing  state  of  their 
army,  the  French  were  very  desirous  of 
seeing  them  in  open  field,  so  that  they 
might  give  battle  to  them.  This  desirable 
occasion  was  not  long  in  presenting  itself, 
as  we  shall  show,  after  having  seen  how 
Bayard  recovered  from  his  wound,  and  with 
what  generosity  he  treated  his  hosts. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

THE  good  knight,  who  was  believed  to 
be  mortally  wounded,  had  been  al- 
lowed to  leave  his  room  after  five  or  six 
weeks,  and  his  wound  got  daily  better,  al- 
though not  so  quickly  as  he  wished.  He 
was  uneasy  as  the  time  approached  for  the 
battle  which  the  duke  had  resolved  to  fight 
with  the  Spaniards,  for  he  would  not  have 
missed  his  chance  of  being  there  for  all  the 
gold  in  the  world. 

His  impatience  at  last  induced  him  to  try 
his  strength.  He  got  up  and  walked  about 
the  room  a  little.  His  courage  was  greater 
than  his  weakness,  and  he  sent  for  his  sur- 
geon to  ask  him  if  he  were  in  a  fit  state  to 
get  into  the  saddle  once  more. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am 
well;  and  I  assure  you  that  I  should  be 
worse  if  made  to  keep  my  room,  than  if  I 
were  allowed  to  go  to  the  field." 

The  surgeon,  who  knew  him,  assured  him 
that  the  wound  was  internally  healed,  and  it 
was  only  necessary  to  leave  it  for  the  scar  to 


218         otUsg  anfc 


heal,  and  he  added:  "  Your  valet  can  do  all 
you  want  ;  he  has  seen  me  dress  your  wound, 
and  as  I  intend  giving  him  the  ointment 
which  I  used,  he  will  be  able  to  dress  it  as 
well  as  I  could." 

Bayard,  transported  with  joy,  rewarded 
the  surgeon  with  his  usual  liberality,  and, 
having  resolved  to  depart  in  two  days,  or- 
dered his  men  to  get  ready  to  accompany 
him  in  that  time. 

The  gentleman  and  lady  in  whose  house 
he  was,  hearing  of  his  approaching  depar- 
ture, and  considering  that  themselves,  their 
children,  and  their  property  (which  might 
have  been  as  much  as  2,000  gold  ducats  *  a 
year)  belonged  to  him,  were  in  doubt  as  to 
how  he  would  treat  them,  and  fully  expected 
that  they  should  have  to  pay  him  at  least 
10,000  ducats  for  ransom.  The  lady,  who 
had  reason  to  know  the  nobility  of  his  senti- 
ments, hoped  that  he  would  content  himself 
with  the  offer  she  would  make  him.  She 
put  2,500  golden  ducats  in  a  little  highly  or- 
namented steel  coffer,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  day  of  Bayard's  departure  she  entered 
his  room,  followed  by  a  lackey  carrying  the 

1  It  was  a  very  small  piece  of  money  of  the  size  and  value  of 
the  present  sequin,  which  is  worth  about  n  francs  10  sous 
French  money. 


Hife  of  ISagartr  219 

coffer.  She  began  by  throwing  herself  on 
her  knees,  but  the  good  knight  forced  her 
to  rise,  and  would  not  listen  to  her  until  she 
was  seated  near  him. 

"  My  lord,"  she  said,  "  I  shall  thank  God 
all  my  life  that  it  pleased  him,  in  the  midst 
of  the  sacking  of  our  town,  to  lead  such  a 
generous  knight  to  our  house;  and  my  hus- 
band and  children  shall  always  look  upon 
you  as  our  tutelar  angel,  and  shall  ever  re- 
member that  it  is  to  you  we  owe  our  lives 
and  our  honour.  Ever  since  you  came 
amongst  us,  we  have  received  from  you 
nothing  but  proofs  of  goodness  and  friend- 
ship. Your  men  even  have  treated  us  with 
respect,  and  have  taken  nothing  from  us 
without  payment.  We  confess  we  are  your 
prisoners;  the  house,  with  all  it  contains,  is 
yours  by  right  of  conquest;  but  you  have 
shown  us  such  generosity  and  greatness  of 
mind  that  I  have  come  to  beg  you  to  have 
pity  on  us,  and  to  be  satisfied  with  the  little 
present  that  I  have  the  honour  to  offer  you. " 

So  saying,  she  opened  the  coffer,  and 
showed  Bayard  its  contents.  The  knight, 
who  never  in  his  life  had  set  any  value  upon 
either  gold  or  silver,  smiled  and  said  to  her, 
"  How  much  have  you  there  ? " 

The  lady,  thinking  that  he  was  speaking 


220    gutless  atttr 


contemptuously,  and  that  he  considered  the 
present  too  small,  answered  him,  trembling 
all  the  time:  "  My  lord,  there  are  only  2,500 
ducats;  but  if  you  are  not  satisfied,  mention 
the  sum  you  wish  to  have,  and  we  will  try 
to  get  it." 

'  That  is  not  what  I  was  going  to  say," 
replied  Bayard.  "  If  you  were  to  offer  me 
100,000  ducats,  I  should  not  value  them  as 
much  as  all  the  kindness  you  have  shown 
me  since  I  have  been  with  you,  and  the 
company  you  have  borne  me,  both  yourself 
and  your  whole  family.  Instead  of  taking 
your  money,  I  promise  you  that  as  long  as 
I  live  you  shall  find  me  always  ready  to 
serve  you  and  be  your  friend,  and  I  shall 
ever  hold  dear  the  remembrance  of  your 
benefits." 

The  lady,  much  astonished  at  this  reply, 
which  she  had  not  in  the  least  expected, 
threw  herself  on  her  knees,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  to  beg  him  to  accept  her  present. 

"  I  shall  consider  myself  the  most  un- 
happy woman  in  the  world,"  said  she,  "  if 
you  refuse  it,  and  I  shall  think  we  have  not 
deserved  all  the  goodness  you  have  shown 
us  while  you  have  been  here." 

"  As  you  wish  it  so  much,"  replied  Bay- 
ard, "  I  accept  it;  but  I  pray  you  send  your 


Htfe  of  ISagarir 


daughters  here  that    I    may  take   leave  of 
them." 

While  she  was  gone  to  call  them,  Bayard 
divided  the  ducats  into  three  lots  —  two  of 
1,000  ducats  each,  and  the  other  of  500. 
The  young  girls  having  come,  the  first  thing 
they  did  was  to  throw  themselves  on  their 
knees  ;  but  he  made  them  get  up  and  seat 
themselves.  Then  the  elder  of  them  said 
to  him:  "  You  see  before  you,  my  lord,  two 
young  girls  who  owe  their  lives  and  honour 
to  you.  We  are  very  sorry  not  to  be  able 
to  show  our  thanks  otherwise  than  by  pray- 
ing to  God  for  you  all  our  lives,  and  asking 
Him  to  reward  you  both  in  this  world  and 
the  next." 

Bayard,  affected  almost  to  tears,  thanked 
them  for  their  help  and  their  charming  so- 
ciety, for  they  had  been  his  daily  compan- 
ions, and  amused  him  by  working  in  his 
room,  and  singing  or  playing  on  the  lute  to 
him. 

'  You  know,"  said  he,  "  that  soldiers  are 
not  ordinarily  loaded  with  jewels  or  other 
things  to  present  to  young  ladies  ;  but  your 
mother  has  just  compelled  me  to  accept  from 
her  2,500  ducats  that  you  see  there.  I  give 
you  a  thousand  each  to  form  part  of  your 
marriage  portions;"  and  in  spite  of  their 


222    gutless  antr 


protestations  he  made  them  accept  his  gifts, 
asking  nothing  in  return  but  their  prayers  to 
God  for  him.  Then  addressing  himself  to 
the  mother,  "  Madam,"  said  he,  "  these  500 
ducats  remain  to  me,  and  I  intend  to  dis- 
tribute them  amongst  the  poor  convents 
which  have  suffered  most  from  the  pillage  ; 
and  as  I  am  about  to  leave,  and  as  you  are 
more  likely  than  I  am  to  know  who  have  the 
greatest  need  of  relief,  I  leave  this  work  to 
you,  and  I  must  now  take  leave  of  you  and 
your  daughters." 

They  again  fell  on  their  knees,  sobbing  as 
if  they  had  lost  their  father.  They  pressed 
his  hands  in  theirs,  and  the  mother,  so 
moved  that  she  could  scarcely  utter  her 
words,  said  to  him  :  "  Too  generous  knight, 
God  alone  can  reward  your  virtues.  We 
will  daily  pray  to  Him  without  ceasing  to 
spare  your  life." 

After  this  she  retired  with  her  daughters. 
Bayard  sent  to  beg  the  father  to  come  and 
dine  with  him.  Having  been  informed  of 
what  had  passed,  he  entered  the  room,  and 
with  one  knee  on  the  ground,  began  out- 
pouring his  thanks,  and  offers  of  his  ser- 
vices, his  property,  and  his  person.  As  soon 
as  they  had  dined  Bayard,  who  had  ordered 
his  carriages  to  be  ready,  prepared  to  set 


Htfe  of  lUagartr  223 

out,  when  the  two  young  ladies  came  to 
him,  and  begged  him  to  accept  from  each 
a  piece  of  her  work.  The  elder  of  the  two 
gave  him  two  pretty  bracelets  of  gold  and 
silver  thread,  and  the  other  a  crimson  satin 
purse,  beautifully  embroidered.  He  was  as 
grateful  to  them  as  if  they  had  given  him  a 
fortune,  put  on  the  two  bracelets  in  their 
presence,  and  put  the  purse  in  his  pocket, 
promising  the  young  ladies  that  as  long  as 
their  presents  lasted,  he  would  wear  them. 
The  farewells  and  tears  began  again,  but 
the  separation  was  a  thing  of  necessity,  and 
while  they  were  yet  bitterly  grieving  at  his 
departure,  Bayard  left  them. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

THE  knight  took  the  road  to  the  camp 
before  Bologna,  accompanied  by  his 
good  friend,  the  Lord  d'Aubigny,  whom 
the  Duke  of  Nemours  had  left  governor  at 
Brescia,  and  who  led  him  with  a  great  num- 
ber of  gentlemen  to  within  two  or  three  miles 
of  his  destination.  Some  of  them  followed 
him  to  the  camp,  where  they  arrived  the 
Wednesday  before  Easter.  Bayard  was  re- 
ceived by  the  prince  and  all  the  army  with 
such  great  demonstrations  of  joy  that  it 
seemed  as  if  he  alone  were  a  reenforcement 
of  10,000  men.  The  camp  was  that  day. be- 
fore Ravenna.  The  Spaniards  were  six 
miles'  distant,  but  the  next  day  they  ap- 
proached to  within  two  miles  of  the  French. 
The  day  after  Bayard's  arrival  the  Duke  of 
Nemours  held  a  council  of  war  upon  the 
plan  which  it  would  be  wisest  to  pursue. 
He  showed  how  the  French  army  had  begun 
to  suffer  for  want  of  provisions,  that  bread 
and  wine  would  soon  be  wanting,  because 


Hife  of  itfagarfc  225 

the  Venetians  on  one  side,  and  the  Span- 
iards on  the  other,  occupied  the  passages  of 
the  Romagna.  But  he  did  not  know,  neither 
did  any  of  his  officers,  another  inconvenience 
that  interested  him  equally — namely,  that 
the  emperor  had  ordered,  by  letter,  the  cap- 
tains of  the  lansquenets  to  retire  on  pain  of 
their  heads,  immediately  his  orders  were  re- 
ceived. By  good  fortune  these  letters  were 
given  to  two  men  too  generous  to  use  them. 
Of  these  one  was  Philip  of  Friberg,  and  the 
other  the  Captain  Jacob  of  whom  we  have 
already  spoken,  who  had  formerly  received 
benefits  from  Louis  XII.,  so  that  his  heart 
was  more  French  than  German.  He  had 
contracted  a  singular  friendship  for  Bayard 
ever  since  the  emperor's  expedition  to  Padua 
in  1509.  He  had  no  sooner  received  the  let- 
ter than,  hearing  of  Bayard's  arrival  at  the 
camp,  he  went  to  see  him  without  any  other 
witness  but  his  interpreter  (never  having 
been  able  to  learn  the  French  language). 
After  many  mutual  protestations  of  friend- 
ship, he  informed  the  knight  of  the  em- 
peror's orders,  of  which  none  but  he  and 
Friberg  had  any  knowledge.  He  protested 
that,  having  given  his  oath  to  the  king,  and 
being  in  his  pay,  he  would  sooner  die  a  thou- 
sand times  than  be  so  unfaithful  to  him, 

15 


226     ^otlegg  attfc 


though  he  was  very  certain  that  if  the  lans- 
quenets were  informed  of  the  order  not  one 
of  them  would  fight.  He  said  how  neces- 
sary it  was  to  hasten  matters,  for  fear  the 
emperor  should  send  new  orders,  more  espe- 
cially because  the  lansquenets  formed  the 
third  part  of  the  army. 

Bayard  thanked  him  very  heartily  for  the 
good  service  he  had  rendered  to  the  king, 
on  whose  part  he  promised  him  any  reward 
he  might  expect.  "  Although,"  added  he, 
"  I  am  the  only  man  to  give  him  an  account 
of  it.  Let  us  go  to  our  general,  the  Duke 
of  Nemours.  He  is  now  holding  a  council, 
and  we  will  declare  to  him  what  you  have 
just  told  me." 

When  they  arrived  opinions  were  divided. 
Some  had  good  reasons  why  battle  should 
not  be  given  ;  others  had  good  reasons  why 
it  should  be,  and  that  immediately.  The 
first  said:  "If  we  lose  it,  which  is  possible, 
all  Italy  is  lost  to  the  king,  and  not  one  of  us 
will  escape.  We  shall  have  to  cross  three 
or  four  rivers  in  our  retreat,  and  we  have 
enemies  on  all  sides  —  the  pope,  the  Vene- 
tians, the  Spaniards,  and  the  Swiss,  and  we 
can  trust  but  little  to  the  emperor." 

The  others  said:  "  Our  position  forces  us 
to  give  battle,  or  to  die  with  hunger  like 


Eife  of  itfagarto  227 

wretches  and  cowards.  We  have  gone  too 
far  to  retreat  otherwise  than  in  disorder  and 
covered  with  shame." 

The  Duke  of  Nemours,  already  informed 
by  Bayard  of  what  had  brought  him  there 
with  the  Captain  Jacob,  was  urgent  for  the 
battle,  and  presented  the  letters  of  the  king, 
his  uncle,  which  arrived  daily,  because  of 
the  fear  he  was  in  of  being  attacked  in  his 
kingdom  on  all  sides  at  once.  However, 
the  duke  asked  the  advice  of  Bayard,  who, 
without  mentioning  the  secret  he  knew,  an- 
swered: "  I  only  arrived  yesterday,  my  lord, 
so  I  do  not  know  the  enemy's  forces  as  my 
comrades  do,  who  have  been  near  enough  to 
skirmish  with  them ;  but  as  you  ask  my  ad- 
vice, and  I  have  heard  that  some  are  in 
favour  of  battle  and  others  against  it,  I  may 
tell  them  that  it  is  always  dangerous  to  give 
battle,  and  perhaps  very  much  so  in  this  in- 
stance, on  account  of  your  situation;  one 
ought  not  to  expose  one's  self  to  it  without 
much  prudence.  However,  taking  into  con- 
sideration the  state  of  the  enemy  and  our 
own,  I  think  you  ought  to  give  battle,  be- 
cause you  have  already  made  your  ap- 
proaches before  Ravenna,  and  to-morrow 
you  ought  to  cannonade  it,  in  order  to  give 
the  assault  as  soon  as  the  breach  is  made. 


228    Spotless  auto 


You  know  that  the  Lord  Mark  Antony  Co- 
lonna,  who  has  been  here  more  than  thir- 
teen days,  only  entered  here  on  the  word 
and  oath  of  the  Viceroy  of  Naples,  general 
of  the  Spaniards,  of  the  Lord  Fabricius  Co- 
lonna,  his  uncle,  of  Don  Pedro  of  Navarre, 
and  all  the  captains,  to  give  him  help,  if  he 
can  wait  till  to-morrow,  or  at  the  latest  till 
Easter  Day.  You  know,  also,  that  they 
have  the  power  to  keep  their  word,  since 
they  are  close  upon  our  army;  besides,  we 
shall  not  be  able  to  remain  in  the  position 
in  which  we  are  now,  and  we  shall  want  pro- 
visions and  forage,  and  the  king  presses  you 
to  give  battle  as  the  only  means  of  keeping, 
not  only  his  duchy  of  Milan,  but  his  whole 
kingdom,  for  the  causes  which  he  writes  to 
you  ;  so  I  conclude  that  we  must  fight,  and 
endeavour  to  act  wisely,  for  we  have  a  glare 
and  fine  army  at  stake.  But  one  thing  com- 
forts me.  For  two  years  the  Spaniards  have 
done  little  else  but  eat  and  drink;  they  are 
so  stout  and  unwieldy  that  they  are  not  ac- 
tive, whereas  our  men  have  known  what  it 
was  to  want  food,  and  will  have  better 
breath,  and  I  assure  you  that  the  field  will 
remain  to  the  side  which  fights  longest." 

This  remark  made  every  one  laugh,  but  it 
was  none  the  less  sensible  for  that.     The 


Uife  of  Uaarti  229 


Lords  of  Lautrec,  Chabannes,1  Crussol,  the 
grand  seneschal  of  Normandy,  and  nearly  all 
the  captains  ranged  themselves  on  Bayard's 
side,  and  on  the  spot  all  the  officers  of  the 
gendarmes  and  foot-soldiers  had  orders  to 
prepare  to  give  battle. 

The  next  day,  which  was  Good  Friday, 
the  town  of  Ravenna  was  so  vigorously  can- 
nonaded that  the  Spaniards  could  count  each 
separate  discharge  in  their  camp,  so  they 
prepared  for  their  duty  of  helping  the  town, 
as  they  had  engaged  to  do.  They  answered 
from  the  chief  square  to  the  cannon  of  the 
French,  who  had  two  brave  men  so  danger- 
ously wounded  that  they  died  a  few  days 
afterwards  at  Ferrara.  One  was  the  Lord 
of  1'Espi,  grand  master  of  the  artillery,  who 
had  an  arquebus  wound  in  the  arm  ;  the 
other  the  Lord  of  Chatillon-Coligny,  provost 
of  Paris,  who  received  a  similar  wound  in 
the  thigh.  They  were  both  men  worthy  of 
regret. 

When  the  breach  was  made  in  the  town, 
all  those  who  were  ordered  to  give  the  as- 
sault approached  it,  to  the  number  of  300 
men-at-arms  and  3,000  foot-soldiers.  The 
rest  of  the  army  was  arranged  in  as  good 

1  He  had  just  succeeded  the  Marshal  of  Chaumont  as  Grand 
Master  of  France. 


antr 


battle  order  as  it  could  possibly  be,  and  all 
showed  so  much  desire  to  fight  that  it  seemed 
as  if  they  were  going  to  a  fete.  They  re- 
mained under  arms  for  three  or  four  hours 
to  support  the  assailants,  who  had  enough 
to  do;  for  if  their  attack  was  good,  the 
defence  was  equally  so.  The  Viscount 
d'Etoge,1  lieutenant  of  the  Count  Robert  de 
la  Marck,  and  Frederic,  Count  of  Bozzolo, 
of  the  house  of  Gonzagua,  signalized  them- 
selves, and  were  several  times  thrown  from 
the  top  of  the  foss  to  the  bottom.  Mark 
Antony  Colonna,  who  commanded  in  the 
square,  encouraged  the  besieged.  "  Keep  a 
good  heart,"  said  he;  "I  promise  you  that 
we  shall  have  assistance  by  to-morrow.  The 
breach  is  small  and  easy  to  defend,  and  if 
we  let  ourselves  be  captured,  we  are  all  lost 
and  dishonoured." 

When  the  French  had  given  five  or  six 
assaults,  seeing  that  the  breach  was  so  well 
defended  that  they  could  not  enter,  they 
beat  a  retreat  ;  and  this  was  perhaps  fortu- 
nate, for  if  they  had  entered,  they  would 
doubtless  have  amused  themselves  with  the 

1  He  was  of  an  illustrious  house,  since  known  under  the  names 
of  Boulemont  and  Givry.  His  grandson,  Rene  d'  Anglere,  Vis- 
count d'Etoge,  served  under  Henry  IV.  in  the  battles  of  Senlis 
and  d'lvry,  and  at  the  sieges  of  Paris  and  Rouen.  He  was 
killed  at  the  siege  of  Laon  in  1594. 


Utte  xif  H3agar&  231 

plunder,  which  would  have  been  immense, 
and  there  might  possibly  have  been,  as  at 
Brescia,  a  great  desertion,  which  would  have 
caused  the  loss  of  the  battle,  which  was  given 
on  Easter  Day,  the  nth  of  April.  The 
Duke  of  Nemours  withdrew  his  army  also, 
so  that  they  might  rest,  and  be  in  a  condi- 
tion to  fight,  which  would  soon  be  inevita- 
ble, as  the  enemy  was  only  two  miles  dis- 
tant. 

He  provided  supper  for  the  principal 
officers,  and  after  the  meal  he  said  to  the 
good  knight:  "Lord  Bayard,  I  must  tell 
you  that  the  Spaniards  fear  you.  Our  pris- 
oners tell  us  that  they  are  always  asking  if 
you  are  in  our  camp.  I  am  of  opinion  that 
you  should  go  yourself  to-morrow  morning, 
and  so  carry  the  news  of  your  own  arrival, 
and  have  some  good  skirmishing  with  them, 
which  will  oblige  them  to  prepare  for  battle, 
and  you  will  have  an  opportunity  of  judging 
of  their  appearance." 

Bayard,  who  had  never  desired  anything 
more  in  his  life,  seized  the  proposition,  and 
answered:  "  I  promise  you,  my  lord,  that 
before  mid-day  to-morrow  I  will  have  seen 
them  so  near  that  I  shall  be  able  to  give  you 
a  good  account  of  them." 

Amongst  the  captains  who  were  present 


232    Spotless  anfc 


was  the  Baron  of  Beam,  lieutenant  of  the 
Duke  of  Nemours,  a  brave  soldier,  and  one 
who  was  always  ready  for  a  skirmish.  He 
was  jealous  that  Bayard  was  before  him,  and 
determined  to  be  out  before  him  in  the 
morning.  He  confided  his  design  to  his 
most  intimate  friends,  who  promised  to  ac- 
company him,  and  kept  their  word.  We 
shall  see  how  they  came  out  of  it. 

Bayard  returned  home  and  sent  for  his 
nephew,  Pierrepont,  who  was  his  lieutenant, 
with  his  ensign,  his  standard-bearer,  and 
several  others  of  his  company,  and  informed 
them  of  what  he  had  promised  the  duke. 
He  consulted  them  as  to  the  manner  of 
carrying  it  out,  and  added  that  his  design 
was  to  unfurl  for  the  first  time  the  banners 
of  the  Duke  of  Lorraine.  "  I  hope,"  said 
he,  "  that  they  will  bring  us  good  luck,  and 
that  they  will  be  more  beautiful  than  the 
cornets."  Then  he  gave  out  his  orders. 
He  charged  the  bastard  Du  Fay,  his  stan- 
dard-bearer, to  take  fifty  archers,  with  which 
he  was  to  pass  the  canal  below  the  artillery 
of  the  Spaniards,  and  give  the  alarm  in  their 
camp  as  far  as  he  could  in  safety,  and  to  re- 
tire in  good  order,  without  hazarding  any- 
thing, when  he  thought  fit,  until  he  met 
Pierrepont,  who  would  follow  him  closely 


Eife  nf  13agarfc 


with  thirty  men-at-arms,  and  the  rest  archers. 
"  And,"  added  he,  "  if  you  find  yourselves 
pressed,  I  shall  be  there  to  sustain  you,  and, 
believe  me,  if  we  bear  ourselves  bravely,  we 
shall  gain  honour."  The  men  he  spoke  to 
were  too  skilled  not  to  understand  his  p"lan 
immediately,  and  they  had  men  under  their 
orders  who  were  capable  of  commanding 
armies  themselves.  All  retired  to  rest  until 
the  trumpet  should  wake  them,  which  it  did 
not  fail  to  do  at  break  of  day.  All  were 
soon  on  foot,  and  in  marching  order.  The 
Duke  of  Lorraine's  banners  were  unfurled, 
and  gave  good  courage  to  all  the  company, 
which  was  distributed,  as  had  been  arranged 
the  evening  before,  in  three  bands,  each  at 
a  bow-shot  from  the  other. 

Bayard  still  knew  nothing  of  the  expedi- 
tion of  the  Baron  of  Beam,  who  had  pre- 
ceded him,  and  who  had  given  such  a  hot 
alarm  to  their  enemies  that  all  were  already 
under  arms.  All  went  well  for  him  up  to 
that  time  ;  but  they  fired  two  or  three  can- 
non shots  from  the  Spanish  side,  one  of 
which  carried  off  the  arms  of  one  of  his  com- 
rades, named  Bazillac,  and  another  killed  the 
Lord  of  Berzar's  horse  under  him.  Both  of 
these  gentlemen  belonged  to  the  Duke  of 
Nemours'  company.  The  duke  was  much 


234        otUss  attfc 


grieved  for  them,  especially  for  Bazillac,  to 
whom  he  was  much  attached.  After  these 
artillery  shots  the  skirmishers  were  assailed 
by  1  20  Spanish  and  Neapolitan  men-at-arms, 
who  made  them  retreat,  and  afterwards 
gairted  the  plain  at  full  gallop.  The  first  of 
the  routed  troop  met  Du  Fay,  who  did  not 
venture  farther,  and  informed  Bayard  of  the 
encounter.  The  knight  sent  him  to  join  the 
Captain  Pierrepont,  and  himself  reached 
them  with  his  troop,  making  of  the  three 
companies  but  one.  Then  he  saw  the  Baron 
of  Beam  and  his  flying  soldiers,  and  the 
enemy  following  them  closely,  and  already 
past  the  canal.  He  would  not  have  taken 
the  whole  world  as  a  gift  to  have  changed 
places  with  any  one. 

"  Follow  me,  my  companions!  "  he  cried, 
both  to  his  own  men  and  to  the  fugitives, 
"  they  are  ours!"  His  voice  alone  rallied 
them,  but  to  show  them  an  example,  he 
threw  himself  first  of  all  into  the  midst  of 
the  Spaniards,  and,  soon  followed  by  his 
troop,  showed  himself,  as  he  always  did, 
great  in  valour.  His  first  strokes  upset  five 
or  six  of  the  enemy,  who  made  no  wonder- 
ment at  that,  but  put  themselves  in  good 
order  of  defence  ;  yet  at  the  same  time  they 
turned  their  backs,  and  crossed  the  canal 


Hife  of  ISagarir  235 

quicker  than  they  had  come.  Bayard  and 
his  soldiers  pursued  them  quite  into  their 
camp,  where  all  was  in  battle  order,  and 
where  they  overturned  all  who  opposed 
them,  and  knocked  down  all  the  tents  and 
pavilions  they  came  to. 

However,  the  knight,  whose  eye  was 
everywhere,  perceived  a  body  of  cavalry, 
consisting  of  nearly  300  men-at-arms,  march- 
ing towards  them  in  a  close  squadron,  in  or- 
der to  surround  them.  He  immediately 
beat  a  retreat,  saying  to  Pierrepont:  "  There 
are  too  many  men  here  for  our  small  num- 
ber to  compete  with." 

They  took  the  road  to  the  canal,  and 
thence  returned  to  their  camp,  without  hav- 
ing lost  a  single  man.  The  Spaniards  let 
them  go,  excepting  five  or  six,  who  followed 
them,  demanding  to  break  lances  with  them. 
Bayard  would  not  allow  it,  although  many 
of  his  company  had  a  great  desire  to  do  so; 
but  he  feared  that  that  might  engage  them 
in  some  new  skirmish,  and  that  the  time 
was  not  propitious  for  such  an  occurrence. 
From  the  record  we  have  of  Bayard's 
actions,  we  find  that  his  valour  was 
always  tempered  with  wisdom,  and  that, 
as  he  was  the  bravest  officer  of  his  age,  he 
was  also  the  most  prudent,  and  his  pru- 


236    g>potless  antr 


dence  never  left  him,  even  in  the  hottest 
fields. 

The  Duke  of  Nemours,  informed  of  the 
knight's  expedition  before  he  arrived  at  the 
camp,  ran  to  embrace  him,  saying:  "  You 
are  the  man,  Lord  Bayard,  for  skirmishes. 
No  one  knows  so  well  as  you  do  either  how 
to  begin  or  how  to  finish  them  ;  you  are  our 
master  in  the  art  of  war,  as  you  have  clearly 
shown  to-day." 

That  same  day,  which  was  the  eve  of  the 
battle  of  Ravenna,  the  duke  assembled  to- 
gether all  his  captains,  both  of  foot  and 
horse,  and  spoke  to  them  thus:  "  You  see, 
sirs,  that  we  are  here  in  a  country  where 
everything  is  wanting  to  us;  and  that  the 
longer  we  remain  here,  the  more  exhausted 
we  shall  become.  The  town  of  Ravenna 
bounds  us  on  the  one  side,  and  our  enemies 
on  the  other  within  cannon-shot  of  us.  I 
am  informed  that  the  Venetians  and  Swiss 
threaten  to  descend  upon  the  Duchy  of 
Milan,  where  you  know  we  have  not  left 
strong  forces.  My  uncle,  the  king,  is  daily 
pressing  me  to  give  battle,  and  I  think,  if  he 
knew  our  situation,  he  would  urge  me  to  it 
still  more  forcibly.  Thus,  considering  all 
things,  I  think  we  cannot  defer  it  any 
longer;  and  I  hope  that,  with  the  help  of 


of  ISaartr  237 


God  and  the  good-will  of  our  army,  we  shall, 
for  our  master's  honour  and  our  own,  soon 
march  upon  our  enemies.  If  God  favours 
us,  to  Him  we  will  rerfder  thanks  ;  if  we  are 
unsuccessful,  His  will  be  done.  As  to  me, 
do  not  doubt  that  I  would  sooner  die  than 
lose  the  day,  and  if  God  orders  it  so,  our 
enemies  will  be  cowards  if  they  spare  me, 
for  I  will  not  spare  them.  Give  me  your 
opinions  now,  and  I  will  follow  them." 
Chabannes  spoke  first,  and  voted  for  battle, 
and  the  sooner  the  better.  He  was  sup- 
ported by  the  grand  equerry,1  the  grand  sen- 
eschal of  Normandy,  the  Lord  of  Crussol, 
Louis  d'Ars,  and  all  the  other  heads  of  the 
army.  Battle  was  then  fixed  for  the  next 
day,  Easter  Sunday. 

1  Peter  d'Urfe,  grand  bailie  of  Forey,  of  an  ancient  and  noble 
house  now  extinct. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

THEY  began  by  building  a  bridge  over 
the  canal  of  which  we  have  spoken, 
for  the  artillery  and  foot-soldiers  to  cross 
by;  as  for  the  cavalry,  they  would  have  no 
difficulty,  as  the  canal  was  fordable  and  the 
banks  easy  to  climb.  Bayard  was  of  opin- 
ion that  they  should  settle  the  plan  of  the 
battle,  so  that  each  one  should  know  his 
place,  and  what  he  had  to  do.  "  Because," 
said  he,  "  all  the  prisoners  whom  I  have 
questioned  have  told  me  that  it  is  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Spaniards  to  make  one  troop  of 
their  infantry  and  two  of  their  cavalry;  so  I 
think  we  ought  to  arrange  our  plans,  taking 
that  fact  into  consideration." 

His  advice  was  received  with  applause, 
and  the  plan  was  immediately  arranged. 

It  was  decreed  that  the  lansquenets,  with 
the  foot-soldiers  of  Captains  Molard,  Bon- 
net, Maugiron,  the  Baron  of  Grammont, 
Bardassan,  and  others,  to  the  number  of 
6,000  men,  should  march  together,  and  form 
one  large  body,  flanked  by  the  2,000  Gas- 


Hife  of  ISagartr  239 

cons  of  Captain  Odet  d' Aydie,  and  the  cadet 
of  Duras ;  that  all  should  go  and  place  them-1 
selves  at  a  cannon-shot  from  the  enemy, 
having  the  artillery  before  them,  and  that 
they  should  cannonade  the  Spaniards  to 
make  them  leave  their  fort,  as  their  princi- 
pal precaution  had  been  to  encamp  them- 
selves well ;  that  after  the  foot-soldiers,  and 
quite  near  to  them,  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  and 
Chabannes  should  be  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  vanguard,  and  with  them  the  gentlemen 
to  the  number  of  800  men-at-arms,  under 
the  orders  of  the  grand  seneschal,  the  grand 
equerry,  Humbercourt,  La  Cropte-Daillon, 
Theodore  Trivulce,  and  others;  and  finally, 
near  them,  and  directly  opposite,  the  Duke 
of  Nemours  with  his  company,  his  cousin 
Lautrec,  D'Alegre,  Louis  d'Ars,  Bayard, 
and  some  others,  making  in  all  40x3  men-at- 
arms  ;  that  the  Italian  infantry  to  the  num- 
ber of  about  4,000  should  remain  on  the  near 
side  of  the  canal  in  care  of  the  baggages,  for 
fear  that  those  of  Ravenna  should  come  and 
make  a  sally.  This  infantry  was  under  the 
command  of  Counts  Nicholas  and  Francis 
Scottie,  of  Plaisance,  of  the  Marquis  Malas- 
pina,  and  other  officers  of  the  same  nation. 
It  was  decided  that  the  bastard  Du  Fay, 
having  a  command  and  with  the  chief  stan- 


dard,  should  guard  the  bridge  till  further 
orders. 

As  soon  as  the  day  dawned  the  lansque- 
nets crossed  the  first;  but  Captain  Molard, 
jealous  of  the  honour  of  preceding  them, 
cried  out  to  his  men:  "  What,  my  friends, 
shall  it  be  said  that  the  lansquenets  have 
seen  the  enemy  before  us  ?  I  would  sooner 
lose  one  of  my  eyes  than  that  should  hap- 
pen." 

He  immediately  plunged  into  the  water, 
and  followed  by  all  his  men,  up  to  their 
waists  in  water,  they  crossed  the  canal  fully 
equipped,  and  reached  the  other  side  before 
the  lansquenets;  the  artillery  crossed  next, 
and  were  placed  at  the  head  of  the  foot-sol- 
diers ranged  in  battle  order;  after  them  the 
infantry  passed  with  the  men-at-arms. 

During  this  march  a  singular  circumstance 
happened.  The  Duke  of  Nemours,  armed 
at  all  points,  and  magnificently  attired  in  a 
dress  blazoned  with  the  arms  of  Foix  and 
Navarre,  having  gone  out  very  early  in  the 
morning,  remarked  that  the  sun  rose  as  red 
as  blood;  he  pointed  it  out  to  those  who 
accompanied  him,  amongst  whom  was  a 
gentleman  very  familiar  with  him,  named 
Hautbourdin,  a  wit,  who  said  to  him:  "  Do 
you  know,  my  lord,  what  sign  that  is  ?  That 


Htfe  of  iSagartr 


is  a  token  that  some  great  prince  or  captain 
will  die  to-day:  it  must  be  either  you  or  the 
Viceroy  of  Naples." 

The  duke  smiled  at  this,  as  he  always  did 
at  Hautbourdin's  sallies;  afterwards  he  went 
forward  to  see  his  'army  defile,  which  it  did 
with  great  diligence.  Bayard,  who  was  near 
him,  asked  him  to  walk  with  him  along  the 
canal  with  the  Lords  of  Lautrec,  D'Alegre, 
and  some  others,  to  the  number  of  about 
twenty.  They  saw  afar  off  the  movements 
of  the  Spanish  camp,  where  they  were  pre- 
paring for  battle,  judging  that  it  must  take 
place  on  that  day.  The  duke  then  said  to 
Bayard:  "  We  are  just  under  their  fire.  If 
they  had  arquebusiers  placed  there,  they 
could  pick  us  off  easily." 

At  this  moment  they  perceived  a  body  of 
twenty  or  thirty  Spanish  knights,  amongst 
whom  was  the  general  of  the  cavalry,  Don 
Pedro  de  Paes.  Bayard  advanced  towards 
them,  saluted  them,  and  said  to  them  :  "  My 
lords,  you  are  walking  about  as  we  are,  wait- 
ing for  the  beginning  of  the  battle.  I  pray 
you  not  to  allow  arquebuses  to  be  fired  from 
your  side,  and  I  promise  you  none  shall  be 
from  ours." 

This  they  agreed  to,  and  then  Don  Pedro 
begged  him  to  say  who  he  was,  the  Span- 

16 


anfc 


iard  having  heard  of  the  glory  which  he  had 
acquired  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  Learn- 
ing his  name,  he  said  to  him  with  a  very 
good  grace:  "  Lord  Bayard,  although  your 
arrival  in  the  French  camp  may  not  be  a 
subject  of  rejoicing  to  us  —  in  fact,  on  the 
contrary,  we  consider  it  as  good  as  a  re- 
enforcement  of  2,000  men  for  them  —  still  I 
am  no  less  glad  to  see  you  ;  and  if  it  please 
God  that  peace  shall  be  established  between 
our  nations,  I  will  prove  to  you  the  esteem 
I  feel  for  you,  and  the  wish  I  have  to  be 
numbered  amongst  your  friends." 

The  knight  returned  his  civility  with  his 
accustomed  modesty,  after  which  Don  Pedro 
asked  him  who  that  lord  was  so  magnifi- 
cently accoutred,  and  to  whom  everybody 
paid  so  much  respect. 

He  is,"  said  Bayard,  "  our  general,  the 
Duke  of  Nemours,  the  brother  of  your  queen." 

He  had  hardly  spoken,  when  this  Span- 
iard and  all  with  him  advanced  towards  the 
duke,  dismounted,  and  did  homage  to  him, 
assuring  him  that,  saving  the  service  of  the 
king  their  master,  they  would  profess  them- 
selves his  servants  all  their  lives.  The  duke 
received  their  compliment  very  graciously, 
and  after  a  little  conversation  they  sepa- 
rated, each  to  his  post. 


Hife  of  Bagarfc  243 

The  French,  while  marching,  perceived 
the  enemy's  vanguard,  commanded  by  Fa- 
bricius  Colonna,  full  in  sight,  arid  within 
gun-shot  distance.  Bayard  and  D'Alegre 
remarked  the  circumstance  to  the  Duke  of 
Nemours. 

"  Do  you  see, '"said  he,  "  that  magnificent 
troop  of  horsemen  ?  If  we  only  had  two 
pieces  of  artillery  here  we  could  easily  reach 
them." 

D'Alegre  went  himself  to  order  a  cannon 
and  a  culverin  to  be  brought  forward,  which 
they  fired  so  vigorously  and  so  quickly  on 
the  enemy's  troop  that  they  had  300  men- 
at-arms  down  in  a  moment;  and  their  chief, 
the  Lord  Fabricius,  declared,  when  he  was 
a  prisoner  at  Ferrara,  that  a  single  shot  had 
killed  thirty-three  men.  The  Spaniards 
were  terribly  frightened,  not  knowing  whence 
the  shots  came  that  overthrew  them.  Their 
general  had  expressly  commanded  them  not 
to  leave  their  posts  until  the  French 'should 
go  to  attack  them ;  but  they  were  forced  to 
leave  their  places  notwithstanding  their  com- 
manding officer,  to  whom  they  said  in  their 
tongue  :  "  By  the  body  of  God,  we  are  going 
to  fight  men,  and  Heaven  crushes  us!  " 

However,  from  the  side  of  the  Spanish 
camp,  which  was  extremely  strong,  and  pro- 


244    Spotless  anU 


tected  by  a  good  ditch,  the  artillery  had  be- 
gun its  play.  Behind  the  foss  all  the  foot- 
soldiers,  to  protect  themselves  from  the 
French,  were  lying  on  their  faces.  Their 
defence,  which  was  in  front  of  them,  con- 
sisted of  twenty  pieces,  cannons  and  cul- 
verins,  too,  and  about  200  arquebuses  a 
croc,  and  between  each  two  a  little  wheeled 
truck,  upon  which  were  sharp  pieces  of  iron, 
like  scythes,  to  cut  down  the  French  foot- 
soldiers  as  they  advanced.  On  one  wing 
was  Fabricius  Colonna  with  the  vanguard, 
composed  of  800  men-at-arms  ;  a  little  higher 
up  was  the  body  of  the  army,  commanded 
by  Don  Raymond  of  Cardona,  who  had 
more  than  400  men-at-arms  ;  and  still  nearer 
to  him  were  2,000  Italians,  commanded  by 
Ramassot.  But  as  to  their  soldiery,  never 
were  seen  finer  or  more  active  troops. 

As  soon  as  the  Duke  of  Nemours  had 
passed  the  canal,  he  gave  orders  that  all 
should  march,  notwithstanding  the  enemies' 
fire,  which  picked  out  the  French  infantry 
as  if  they  had  been  targets  ;  and  had  already 
killed  2,000  before  the  battle  commenced  ; 
amongst  others  four  captains,  who  were 
much  regretted  —  Jarses,  Le  H6rissor,  Mo- 
lard,  and  Philip  of  Friberg,  all  brave  men, 
full  of  courage  and  experience.  However, 


Hife  of  ISagarir 


notwithstanding  the  Spanish  fire,  the  French 
did  not  slacken  speed,  but  still  marched  for- 
ward. On  the  other  side,  the  vanguard, 
commanded  by  Fabricius  Colonna,  driven 
out,  as  we  have  seen,  came  into  the  open 
field  to  fight,  and  marched  straight  to  the 
point  where  the  Duke  of  Nemours  and  some 
few  of  the  soldiery  were. 

The  French  in  this  body,  overjoyed  at 
commencing  the  attack,  rushed  upon  their 
enemies.  The  Spaniards  had  divided  into 
two  parties,  thinking  to  surround  their  op- 
ponents. Bayard  saw  it  at  first,  and  advised 
the  duke  to  divide  his  men  into  two  bodies, 
which  was  immediately  done.  Then  the 
Spaniards  began  crying  with  all  their  might, 
"  Spain  !  "  "  St.  lago,  a  los  caballos  !  "  (upon 
the  horses),  and  fell  upon  the  French,  only 
wishing  to  kill  their  horses  ;  but  they  were 
received  with  equal  fury  by  the  French,  who 
cried,  '  '  France  !  "  "  France  !  "  "  To  horse  !  '  ' 
and,  like  their  enemies,  tried  to  unhorse 
them,  according  to  the  proverb,  which  says, 
"  Kill  the  horse,  and  the  man-at-arms  is 
lost."  There  was  never,  perhaps,  a  more 
bloody  and  furious  combat  than  that  which 
was  fought  then,  and  which  lasted  more  than 
an  hour  and  a  half.  Both  parties  were 
obliged  to  stop  and  take  breath  ;  then  they 


246    Spotless  antr  jfearless 

began  their  ordinary  cries  more  briskly  than 
before.  The  Spaniards  were  half  as  numer- 
ous again  as  the  French.1 

The  Lord  D'Alegre,  seeing  the  victory 
undecided,  ran  to  the  vanguard,  and  cried 
to  the  band  of  the  Lord  of  la  Marck,  whom 
he  met  the  first,  and  who  was  distinguish- 
able by  his  black  and  white  colours,  "  After 
me,  black  and  white  and  the  archers  of  the 
guard  !  " 

The  Duke  of  Ferrara  and  Chabannes,  con- 
cluding that  pressing  necessity  had  induced 
him  to  call  them,  sent  their  men  at  full 
speed  towards  the  Duke  of  Nemours,  who 
had  already  made  the  enemy  retreat  by  de- 
grees. This  reinforcement  was  fatal  to  the 
Spanish,  for  these  archers  of  the  guard  car- 
ried on  their  saddle-bows  little  hatchets, 
which  were  useful  to  them  in  putting  up 
their  tents.  They  used  them  now,  and  gave 
the  Spaniards  such  terrific  blows  with  them 
that  they  knocked  down  every  man  they 
touched.  Finally  they  forced  the  enemy 
to  leave  the  camp,  leaving  300  or  400 
men-at-arms  on  the  field  between  the  two 
ditches,  besides  many  Neapolitan  lords 

1  The  Spanish  army  consisted  of  20,000  men,  and  the  French 
of  15,400,  according  to  an  account  kept  in  the  record  chamber 
at  Grenoble ;  but  we  see  that  4,000  remained  to  guard  the 
baggage. 


Hife  of  HJagarlr  247 

whom  they  took  prisoners,  and  whose  lives 
were  saved. 

Bayard,  seeing  the  Duke  of  Nemours  cov- 
ered with  blood,  and  with  the  brains  of  one 
of  his  slain  men  by  his  side,  asked  him  if  he 
were  not  wounded,  as  he  thought  he  was. 

"  No,"  said  the  duke,  "  but  I  have 
wounded  others." 

"  God  be  praised,"  Bayard  replied;  "  the 
battle  is  yours.  You  have  covered  yourself 
with  glory  to-day ;  but  remain  here,  assem- 
ble your  soldiers,  and  do  not  allow  them  to 
begin  plundering.  It  is  not  time  for  that 
yet.  The  Captain  Louis  d'Ars  and  I  are 
going  to  follow  the  fugitives,  and  hinder 
them  from  leaving  before  their  foot-soldiers ; 
but  do  not  leave  here  till  he  or  I  come  to 
you."  The  duke  promised  to  do  as  Bayard 
wished,  but  did  not  keep  his  word,  and  paid 
for  it  by  his  life  in  a  manner  which  deserves 
a  detailed  account. 

We  have  noticed  that,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  action,  the  Spanish  foot-soldiers 
had  thrown  themselves  flat  on  their  faces  to 
escape  the  fire  of  the  French  artillery,  and 
that  their  fort  was  so  constructed  that  they 
could  not  be  seen,  so  that  it  was  very  dan- 
gerous to  attack  them.  Now  the  French 
were  only  two  pikes'  length  from  them. 


248     BotUgg  anfc 


The  2,000  Gascons  were  then  ordered  to  go, 
in  spite  of  the  danger,  and  attack  them  from 
the  rear,  and  discharge  their  arrows  at  them 
to  make  them  get  up.  The  Captain  Odet 
and  the  Captain  Duras  got  ready  to  do  so; 
but  they  explained  that  they  wanted  some 
pikemen  to  support  them,  in  case  their  foot- 
soldiers,  having  discharged  all  their  arrows, 
should  be  charged  by  Spanish  ensigns.  The 
Lord  of  Moncaure  was  ordered  to  go  and 
help  them  with  1,000  Picardswhom  he  com- 
manded. 

The  archers  discharged  their  arrows,  and 
slew  a  great  number  of  Spaniards,  which 
obliged  the  others  to  rise,  and  form  in  bat- 
tle order:  but  two  ensigns  immediately  ap- 
peared behind  them,  with  1,000  or  1,200 
men  each,  who  fell  upon  the  Gascons,  and 
broke  them  (whether  it  was  their  fault  or 
that  of  the  Picards),  killed  the  Lord  of  Mon- 
caure, the  lieutenant  of  the  Captain  Odet, 
that  of  the  cadet  of  Duras,  and  many  other 
very  good  officers.  The  Spanish  uttered 
loud  cries  of  joy,  as  if  they  had  gained  the 
battle,  although  their  defeat  was  already  de- 
cided, and  the  two  ensigns  returned  no  more 
to  their  rear,  but  took  the  road  to  Ravenna, 
marching  four  abreast  along  the  bank  of  the 
canal.  We  must  leave  them  a  moment,  and 


3Ltfe  of  ISagarir  249 

relate  what  followed  the  attack  of  the  Gas- 
cons. The  Spanish,  standing,  advanced  upon 
the  border  of  their  ditch,  where  the  French 
assailed  them  with  incredible  bravery;  but 
they  were  received  with  arquebus  strokes, 
which  killed  many  of  them ;  amongst  others 
that  famous  Captain  Jacob,  whom  we  have 
before  mentioned  with  honour;  he  received 
a  gun-shot  through  the  body,  which  only 
gave  him  time  to  say  to  his  comrades  in  his 
own  tongue,  "  Friends,  serve  the  king  as 
well  as  he  serves  us,"  and  he  immediately 
fell  dead.  He  had  brought  with  him  a  cap- 
tain named  Fabian,  one  of  the  largest,  hand- 
somest, and  strongest  men  that  could  be 
seen,  who,  seeing  his  good  friend  and  com- 
mander slain,  only  wished  to  avenge  his 
death,  and  performed  a  deed  of  unexampled 
strength  and  bravery.  He  threw  himself 
into  the  middle  of  the  Spaniards'  pikes, 
holding  his  own  across,  and  made  them 
lower  their  points  to  the  earth,  where  he 
held  them  by  the  strength  of  his  arms  alone, 
and  by  that  means  gave  the  French  an  op- 
portunity of  leaping  the  ditch,  which  was 
not  accomplished  without  much  bloodshed 
on  both  sides,  for  a  better  defence  was  never 
seen  than  that  which  the  Spaniards  opposed 
to  this  attack. 


anir 


The  French  lost  in  this  action  the  Baron 
of  Grammont,  the  Lords  of  Maugiron  and 
Bardassan,  who  had  been  prodigiously  valor- 
ous. The  Captain  Bonnet  received  a  pike- 
thrust  in  the  forehead,  and  the  head  re- 
mained in  the  wound.  In  fine,  the  loss  of 
the  French  was  great,  not  only  in  number, 
but  considering  also  the  quality  and  merit 
of  the  dead  ;  but  on  the  Spanish  side  it  was 
very  different,  for  whilst  they  supported  the 
attack  from  the  ditch  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  the  soldiers  of  the  French  vanguard, 
having  attacked  them  on  the  flank,  routed 
them,  and  did  not  leave  one  of  them,  ex- 
cepting only  the  general,  Don  Pedro  of  Na- 
varre,1 and  some  other  principal  officers, 
whom  they  took  prisoners. 

To  return  to  those  two  ensigns  whom  we 
have  seen  taking  the  road  to  Ravenna,  and 
following  the  course  of  the  canal.  The 
Duke  of  Nemours  remaining  at  the  place 
where  Bayard  had  urgently  recommended 
him  to  await  news  of  the  action,  perceived 
these  two  ensigns,  who  were  retiring,  whilst 
some  of  the  defeated  Gascons  were  flying 
towards  him.  He  asked  what  it  was.  One 

1  He  was  a  soldier  of  fortune.  His  merit  and  talents  pro- 
moted him  to  the  first  military  dignities.  It  is  said  that  he 
was  the  first  to  invent  mines.  He  passed  from  the  Spanish  ser- 
vice to  that  of  France,  under  Francis  I. 


Hife  of  HJagarfc 


of  the  fugitives  replied,  "  The  Spaniards 
have  defeated  us." 

The  prince,  thinking  that  his  whole  in- 
fantry was  routed,  without  looking  to  see 
whether  he  was  accompanied  or  not,  rushed 
to  their  rescue  in  despair  into  that  way, 
having  only  fourteen  or  fifteen  men  with 
him. 

To  complete  the  misfortune,  the  Span- 
iards had  reloaded  several  arquebuses,  which 
they  fired  on  him  and  his  escort,  then  fell 
upon  them  with  their  pikes.  The  French 
could  not  easily  move,  not  only  because  the 
road  was  narrow,  but  it  was  bordered  on  one 
side  by  a  canal,  and  on  the  other  by  a  very 
deep  ditch.  All  the  escort  was  killed  or 
thrown  into  the  canal  or  ditch.  The  duke's 
horse  having  been  hamstrung,  his  loss  com- 
pelled his  master  to  fight  on  foot,  having  no 
other  defensive  weapon  than  his  sword.  As- 
sailed by  a  crowd  of  enemies,  he  defended 
himself  like  a  true  hero.  He  was  vigorously 
seconded  by  his  cousin  Lautrec,  who  cried 
to  the  Spanish,  "  Do  not  kill  him;  he  is  our 
general,  the  brother  of  your  queen." 

In  spite  of  Lautrec's  cries  they  finished 
him,  having  given  him  so  many  cuts  that  he 
had  fourteen  or  fifteen  on  his  face  alone. 
Vivarotz,  son  of  the  Lord  d'Alegre,  was 


antr 


thrown  into  the  ditch,  and  his  father  had 
already  been  killed  at  the  defeat  of  the  foot- 
soldiers.  Lautrec  and  some  others  were  left 
for  dead,  after  which  the  Spanish  fled  along 
the  same  road,  which  was  nearly  ten  miles 
long. 

Half-way  they  met  Bayard  returning  from 
the  pursuit  of  the  fugitives,  with  about  forty 
men,  so  fatigued  that  neither  they  nor  their 
horses  could  keep  up.  However,  they  con- 
sidered it  their  duty  to  charge  them,  and 
prepared  to  do  so  ;  but  one  of  the  Spanish 
chiefs  advanced  from  the  ranks,  and  said  to 
him,  "What  do  you  want  to  do?  You 
must  plainly  see  that  you  have  not  enough 
men  with  you  to  fight  against  us.  You  have 
gained  the  battle,  in  which  all  our  men  have 
lost  their  lives,  and  it  is  only  by  a  miracle 
that  we  have  escaped.  Be  satisfied  with  the 
honour  of  the  victory,  and  let  us  pass." 

Bayard  consented  to  this,  on  condition 
that  they  should  give  up  the  ensigns.  They 
gave  them  up,  and  then  gave  the  knight  a 
passage  through  the  middle  of  their  troop, 
and  continued  their  road.  Alas!  if  he  had 
known  of  their  last  exploit,  and  that  the 
Duke  of  Nemours  had  just  died  by  their 
hands,  he  would  not  have  let  them  go  with- 
out attacking  them,  and  would  have  rather 


Hife  of  ISagarfc  253 

died  a  thousand  times  than  not  have  avenged 
himself. 

During  the  battle,  and  before  the  total 
defeat  of  the  Spaniards,  the  viceroy,  Don 
Raymont  of  Cardona,  had  fled  with  300 
men-at-arms,  and  Ramassot  with  his  2,000 
Italian  foot-soldiers.  These  were  all  that 
escaped ;  the  remainder  were  killed  or  taken 
prisoners.  The  battle  had  commenced  at 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  it  was  four 
in  the  afternoon  when  Bayard  and  the  others 
returned  to  the  camp.  The  news  of  the 
Duke  of  Nemours'  death  was  already  spread 
there,  and  the  consternation,  cries,  and  tears 
were  such  that  2,000  fresh  troops  would  have 
been  more  than  a  match  for  the  whole  army, 
more  especially  that  all  were  spent  with 
fatigue.  The  body  of  the  duke  was  carried 
to  his  lodgings  by  his  gentlemen,  and  there 
the  crying  and  sobbing  began  again,  and  did 
not  leave  off  for  a  long  time,  this  prince,  the 
most  accomplished  man  of  his  time,  knew  so 
well  how  to  gain  the  friendship,  confidence, 
and  hearts  of  all  his  army,  both  great  and 
small. 

Finally,  we  must  say  of  this  battle  of  Ra- 
venna that  perhaps  there  never  was  such  a 
cruel,  murderous  engagement,  and  that  on 
both  sides  they  fought  with  a  fury  that  his- 


254    g^otiesg  anir 


tory  furnishes  few  examples  of.  If  the 
Spaniards  lost  many,  their  number  being, 
as  we  have  seen,  nearly  twice  as  numerous 
as  that  of  the  French,  and  nearly  all  being 
left  dead  on  the  field,  we  must  also  confess 
that  the  loss  on  the  French  side  was  very 
great,  on  account  of  the  great  number  of 
good  officers  who  perished  there.  Their 
greatest  loss  was  that  of  the  incomparable 
Duke  of  Nemours,  in  whom  nature  had 
united  all  human  virtues,  and  who,  if  he 
had  lived,  would  have  been  King  of  Naples  ; 
but  God  disposed  of  him  according  to  His 
will.  With  him  died  on  this  unhappy  day 
the  brave  D'Alegre  and  his  son  Vivarotz, 
La  Cropte-Daillon,  the  Lieutenant  D'Hum- 
bercourt,  the  Captains  Molard,  Jacob,  De 
Friberg,  Maugiron,  the  Baron  of  Grammont, 
Bardassan,  and  many  others;  about  3,000 
foot-soldiers,  twenty-four  men-at-arms  un- 
der the  king's  orders,  seven  gentlemen  of  his 
house,  and  nine  archers  of  his  guard.  The 
greater  number  of  those  who  did  not  perish 
on  this  bloody  day  were  wounded. 

On  the  Spanish  side  twenty  captains  of  in- 
fantry regiments  and  nearly  10,000  of  their 
men  died  ;  of  their  cavalry  more  than  thirty 
captains  or  standard-bearers,  with  800  men- 
at-arms,  besides  Don  Menaldo  of  Cardona, 


ILtfe  of  Baata  255 


Don  Diego  of  Quignonez,  and  the  Captains 
Alvarado  and  Alphonse  of  Stella.  Their  in- 
fantry general,  Don  Pedro  of  Navarre,  was 
made  prisoner  there,  with  Don  John  of  Car- 
dona,  the  Marquises  of  Licite,  of  La  Padule, 
and  of  Pescara,  the  Duke  of  Taijetter,  the 
Counts  of  Conches  and  of  Pepoli,  the  Car- 
dinal de  Medicis,  the  Pope's  legate,  and 
more  than  100  other  lords  or  captains.  All 
the  artillery,  the  arquebuses,  and  baggage 
remained  there.  In  fine,  out  of  an  army  of 
more  than  20,000  men,  16,000  were  slain  or 
taken.  The  Lord  Mark  Antony  Colonna 
had  the  good  fortune  to  retire  into  the  cit- 
adel of  Ravenna,  which  was  strong,  and 
capable  of  a  good  defence. 

The  next  day  the  town  was  plundered  by 
the  lansquenets  and  the  French  foot-soldiers, 
notwithstanding  the  defences  which  had  been 
made.  This  was  by  the  base  orders  of  the 
Captain  Jacquin  Caumont,  whose  death  veri- 
fied the  horoscope  of  the  astrologer  of  Carpi  ; 
for  Chabannes,  who  had  been  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  army,  had  him  hanged. 

This  day  at  Ravenna  would  have  been 
great  in  its  results  had  it  not  been  for  the 
death  of  the  Duke  of  Nemours,  and  the 
French  would,  doubtless,  have  profited  by 
their  victory.  But  this  misfortune,  added  to 


256    g^otless  anfc 


the  news  that  the  Lord  Trivulce  incessantly 
gave  them,  that  the  Venetians  and  the  Swiss 
menaced  the  Duchy  of  Milan,  and  that,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  emperor  began  to  bestir 
himself  to  declare  war  on  the  king,  deter- 
mined them  to  take  the  road  to  the  Duchy 
of  Milan. 


CHAPTER   XX 

Letter  of  the  Knight  Bayard  to  Laurent  Alleman,  hh 
uncle,  on  the  battle  of  Ravenna 

IR:  I  commend  myself  with  all  humil- 

ity  to  your  good  favour. 
"  Since  I  last  wrote  to  you  we  have  had, 
as  you  have  doubtless  learnt,  a  battle  with 
our  enemies.  But,  to  make  you  acquainted 
with  the  whole  affair,  it  happened  in  this 
way:  Our  army  came  and  lodged  close  to 
this  city  of  Ravenna;  our  enemies  were 
there  as  soon  as  we,  in  order  to  give  heart 
to  the  said  town,  and  by  reason  of  some 
rumours  which  were  daily  current  of  the 
descent  of  the  Swiss,  and  of  the  want  of 
provisions  in  our  camp,  Monsieur  de  Ne- 
mours resolved  to  give  battle,  and,  last  Sun- 
day, passed  a  little  river,  which  was  between 
our  said  enemies  and  ourselves.  Thus  it  fell 
out  that  we  engaged  them.  They  marched 
in  the  best  order,  and  were  more  than  1,700 
men-at-arms,  the  proudest  and  most  trium- 
phant that  we  ever  saw,  and  14,000  foot- 
17 


2s8    Spotless  antr  jpearles* 

soldiers,  as  gallant  men  as  could  be  met 
with.  So  about  1,000  of  their  men-at-arms, 
enraged  at  our  artillery,  fell  upon  our  squad- 
ron in  which  was  the  Duke  of  Nemours  in 
person,  his  company,  that  of  the  Duke  of 
Lorraine,  of  Louis  d'Ars  and  others,  to  the 
number  of  400  men-at-arms  or  thereabouts, 
who  received  their  said  enemies  with  such 
valour,  that  better  fighting  was  never  seen. 
Between  our  vanguard,  which  was  composed 
of  1,000  men-at-arms  and  us,  there  were 
great  ditches,  and,  moreover,  it  had  work 
to  do  elsewhere,  and  could  not  help  us.  So 
it  happened  that  the  said  squadron  was 
obliged  to  stand  the  brunt  of  the  said  1,000 
men-at-arms  of  the  enemy.  Just  then  Mon- 
sieur de  Nemours  broke  his  lance,  and 
pierced  one  of  their  men-at-arms  through 
his  body,  and  half  the  length  of  an  arm  be- 
yond. So  the  said  1,000  men-at-arms  were 
defeated  and  put  to  flight,  and  as  we  were  in 
pursuit  of  them,  we  met  their  foot-soldiers 
near  their  artillery,  with  500  or  600  men-at- 
arms,  who  were  there  hemmed  in,  and  had 
put  little  trucks  upon  two  wheels  before 
them,  upon  which  were  pieces  of  iron  of  the 
length  of  two  or  three  arms,  and  they  came 
to  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  our  foot-sol- 
diers. Their  said  foot-soldiers  had  so  many 


Hife  of  ISagartr  259 

arquebuses  that,  when  they  fought  close  in 
this  manner,  they  killed  all  our  captains,  so 
to  speak,  instead  of  staggering  them,  or  put- 
ting them  to  flight.  But  our  soldiers  were 
so  well  seconded  by  the  men-at-arms  that, 
after  fighting  well,  our  said  enemies  were 
defeated,  lost  their  artillery,  and  700  or  800 
men-at-arms,  and  the  greater  number  of 
their  captains,  with  7,000  or  8,000  foot-sol- 
diers. It  is  not  known  whether  any  cap- 
tains escaped,  but  the  viceroy,  for  we  have 
taken  prisoner  the  Lord  Fabricius  Colonna, 
the  Cardinal  de  Me'dicis,  the  Pope's  legate, 
Pedro  Navarre,  the  Marquis  of  Pescara,  the 
Marquis  of  Padule,  the  son  of  the  Prince  of 
Malfi,  Don,  man  of  Cardona,  son  of  the 
Marquis  of  Belonde,  and  others  whose  names 
I  do  not  know.  Those  who  escaped  were 
followed  for  eight  or  ten  miles,  and  are  now 
making  their  way  across  the  mountains, 
although  some  say  the  serfs  (peasants)  have 
cut  them  to  pieces. 

"  My  lord,  if  the  king  has  gained  the. bat- 
tle, I  swear  to  you  that  the  poor  gentlemen 
have  lost  it,  for  while  we  gave  chase  the 
Duke  de  Nemours  saw  some  of  our  foot- 
soldiers  who  required  help.  He  rushed  to 
their  rescue,  but  the  gentle  prince  was  so 
badly  accompanied  that  he  was  killed.  Of 


260         otlesg  anfc 


all  grief  and  mourning  that  were  ever  known, 
never  was  so  much  sorrow,  surely,  as  has 
been  and  is  now  being  shown  in  our  camp, 
for  it  almost  seems  as  if  we  had  lost  the  bat- 
tle. I  promise  you,  my  lord,  it  is  the  most 
pitiful  death  of  any  prince  these  hundred 
years;  and,  if  he  had  lived  to  be  old,  he 
would  have  done  deeds  that  no  other  prince 
ever  did  before  him.  The  soldiers  well  may 
say  they  have  lost  their  father,  and  as  for 
me,  my  lord,  I  cannot  be  cheerful,  for  I 
have  lost  so  much  that  I  cannot  give  you  an 
idea  of  it  in  writing.  On  other  parts  of  the 
field  were  killed  the  Lord  d'Alegre,  and  his 
son,  Monseigneur  de  Molard,  six  German 
captains,  and  the  Captain  Jacob,  their  colo- 
nel, the  Captain  Maugiron,  the  Baron  of 
Grammont,  and  more  than  200  gentlemen  of 
good  name  and  merit,  not  reckoning  more 
than  2,000  of  our  foot-men.  I  assure  you 
that  the  kingdom  of  France  will  not  recover 
the  loss  it  has  sustained  in  one  hundred 
years. 

"  Yesterday  morning  the  body  of  the  late 
duke  was  taken  to  Milan  with  all  possible 
honours.  Two  hundred  men-at-arms  accom- 
panied him,  and  carried  before  him  eighteen 
or  twenty  of  the  most  triumphant  banners 
gained  in  this  battle.  He  will  remain  at 


Hife  of  iSagarfc 


Milan  till  the  king  has  sent  word  if  he  will 
have  him  conveyed  to  France  or  not.  My 
lord,  our  army  is  going  temporarily  by  the 
Romagna,  taking  all  the  towns  for  the  coun- 
cil of  Pisa.  They  will  not  wait  for  us  to 
implore  them  to  give  themselves  up;  they 
will  be  afraid  of  being  plundered  as  Ravenna 
has  been,  in  which  nothing  remains.  And 
we  shall  not  stir  from  that  quarter  till  the 
king  has  sent  word  what  he  wishes  his  army 
to  do. 

'  When  this  is  despatched,  I  think  we 
shall  have  abstinence  from  war.  The  Swiss 
are  always  making  a  noise  somewhere;  but 
when  they  know  of  this  defeat  perhaps  they 
will  put  a  little  water  in  their  wine.  As 
soon  as  things  are  a  little  settled  I  shall 
come  and  see  you.  Praying  God,  my  lord, 
to  give  you  a  happy  and  long  life.  Written 
at  the  camp  of  Ravenna,  this  I4th  day  of 
April. 

'  Your  very  humble  servant, 

"BAYARD." 


CHAPTER   XXI 

WHEN  all  the  army  had  arrived  in  the 
duchy  of  Milan,  they  began  by  pay- 
ing the  last  honours  to  the  Duke  of  Ne- 
mours. His  obsequies  were  conducted  with 
more  pomp  and  ceremony  than  are  ordi- 
narily displayed  at  the  funerals  of  kings. 
More  than  10,000  men  in  mourning  attended 
the  corpse,  the  greater  number  on  horse- 
back. Four  flags,  taken  from  the  enemy, 
preceded  his  coffin,  drooping  to  the  earth. 
Afterwards  came  his  ensigns  and  his  stan- 
dard-bearer, and  he  was  placed  in  the 
church  of  the  Duomo,  which  is  the  cathe- 
dral, honoured  with  the  tears  and  regrets  of 
all  present.  The  captains  being  assembled 
after  the  ceremony  was  over,  the  command 
was  transferred  to  the  Lord  of  La  Palisse, 
Jacques  de  Chabannes,  as  the  oldest  man, 
and  the  one  most  worthy  of  this  honour, 
because  the  Lord  of  Lautrec,  dangerously 
wounded,  had  been  taken  to  Ferrara,  where 
•the  duke  and  duchess  gave  him  all  the  care 
they  could,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  see- 
ing him  recover  his  health. 


Hife  of  iSagarfc  263 

The  Pope  Julius  the  Second,  always  an 
open  enemy  to  France,  was  not  satisfied, 
because  he  had  not  been  able  to  make  the 
emperor  declare  against  the  king.  He  had 
persuaded  him  to  order  his  lansquenets,  the 
few  that  were  left  from  the  battle  of  Ra- 
venna, to  return.  His  orders,  addressed  to 
their  commander,  brother  of  the  dead  Cap- 
tain Jacob,  were  so  precise,  that  he  consid- 
ered it  necessary  to  obey,  and  the  greater 
number  left  the  French  army,  where  only 
700  or  800  remained,  who  were  retained  by 
a  young  captain,  who,  having  nothing  to 
lose  in  Germany,  attached  himself  to  the 
service  of  the  king. 

The  Cardinal  de  Media's,  made  prisoner 
at  the  battle  of  Ravenna,  was  upon  the  point 
of  being  sent  to  France,  where  he  would 
doubtless  have  been  kept  a  long  time,  but 
he  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  delivered  by 
a  party  of  the  Pope's  men,  commanded  by 
Matthew  of  Beccarea,  who  rendered  him  a 
great  service,  for  if  it  had  not  been  for  him, 
he  would  never  have  borne  either  tiara  or 
the  name  of  Leo  X. 

The  fear  that  the  French  had  for  the  Ven- 
etians and  Swiss  was  found  to  be  only  too 
well  founded.  The  latter  came  down  in  great 
numbers  into  the  duchy  of  Milan,  and  were 


Spotless  antr 


reinforced  by  the  Pope's  troops.  The 
French  army  was  too  fatigued  and  too  small 
to  show  front  to  them.  They  disputed  sev- 
eral passages  with  them  pretty  successfully, 
but  at  last  they  were  obliged  to  yield  to 
numbers,  and  to  retire  to  Pavia,  where  they 
hoped  to  remain.  The  French  were  only 
there  two  days  when,  notwithstanding  the 
diligence  they  had  displayed  in  barricading 
and  fortifying  the  gates,  the  Swiss  entered 
the  town  (it  has  never  been  discovered  by 
what  means),  and  gained  the  great  square, 
where  the  alarm  was  soon  spread.  The 
Captain  Louis  d'Ars,  who  had  been  made 
governor,  went  immediately  to  the  place, 
and  did  great  things.  Chabannes  and  Hum- 
bercourt  followed  him,  and  Bayard,  of  course, 
who  surpassed  himself.  Amongst  other 
doings,  he  stopped  the  Swiss  with  about 
thirty-six  of  his  company,  and  kept  them 
fighting  incessantly  for  more  than  two  hours, 
and  in  this  time  he  had  two  horses  killed 
under  him. 

It  was  by  his  advice  that  the  French,  on 
entering  the  town,  had  at  first  constructed  a 
bridge  of  boats  (although  there  was  a  stone 
one  there),  so  that  they  might  have  a  certain 
way  of  retreat  in  case  of  need.  The  event 
clearly  showed  the  wisdom  of  this  precau- 


Hife  of  iSagartr  265 

tion,  for  as  soon  as  the  Swiss  had  com- 
menced their  attack,  they  had  the  artillery 
taken  off  to  be  carried  across  the  bridge. 
While  they  were  still  at  work,  Captain  Pierre- 
pont,  who  was  on  the  watch,  came  to  warn 
the  French  that  above  their  bridge  fresh 
troops  were  arriving  to  the  Swiss,  on  little 
boats,  with  about  ten  men  on  each ;  that  if 
they  chose  to  make  one  troop,  they  could 
seize  the  bridge,  shut  them  in,  and  conquer 
them  easily.  On  this  warning,  every  one 
took  the  road  to  the  bridge,  where  there 
were  many  blows  given,  and  much  blood 
shed  on  both  sides. 

However,  the  cavalry  passed,  and  they 
left  300  lansquenets  to  guard  the  bridge. 
But  this  was  one  of  those  unfortunate  days 
on  which  disgrace  seems  to  succeed  disgrace 
without  remorse.  As  the  last  piece  of  artil- 
lery (a  long  culverin  taken  at  Ravenna)  was 
passing,  it  sunk  the  first  boat,  and  so  cut  off 
the  route  from  the  lansquenets,  who  took  to 
flight,  and  saved  themselves  as  they  best 
'*  could ;  some  were  slain,  others  thrown  into 
the  Ticino,  and  very  few  escaped.  When 
the  French  had  all  passed  they  broke  the 
bridge,  and  thus  stopped  their  pursuers. 
But  the  day's  misfortunes  were  not  yet  com- 
plete. 


266    g,potle0s  atUr 


Bayard,  who  had  remained  the  last,  ac- 
cording to  custom,  to  superintend  the  break- 
ing of  the  bridge,  received  a  falcon-shot  fired 
from  the  town,  which  struck  his  shoulder  in 
passing,  and  cut  off  the  flesh  to  the  bone. 
Those  who  saw  the  blow  thought  it  had 
killed  him;  but  our  hero,  who  was  never 
frightened  at  anything,  was  not  discon- 
certed, and  though  he  felt  extreme  pain,  he 
relieved  his  companions  by  telling  them  that 
his  wound  was  nothing,  as  though  it  had  in 
reality  been  a  very  small  matter. 

However,  the  blood  flowed  in  such  abun- 
dance that  they  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble 
to  staunch  it;  but  as  there  was  no  surgeon 
there,  his  men  tore  up  their  shirts  for  band- 
ages. Others  put  tree-moss  upon  the  wound. 
In  fine  they  did  all  they  could  to  put  him  in 
a  fit  state  to  follow  the  army,  which  retired 
to  Alexandria,  where  there  .was  a  bridge, 
which  had  been  made  under  the  auspices  of 
Theodore  Trivulce,  who  had  gone  on  before 
for  that  purpose.  The  army  did  not  remain 
there  long;  it  was  soon  obliged  to  leave 
Lombardy  entirely,  excepting  the  citadels 
of  Milan,  Cremona,  Lugano,  and  Lucerne, 
and  some  places  in  the  Valentine,  with  the 
town  and  castle  of  Brescia. 

This  army,   or   rather   this   remnant,   re- 


Ilife  of  ISagarlr  267 

passed  the  Alps,  and  lodged  in  different  gar- 
risons. Bayard,  though  still  suffering  from 
his  wound,  followed  it,  and  went  to  Gre- 
noble, to  the  bishop,  his  uncle,  who  had 
never  seen  him  since  he  left  him  in  the 
hands  of  the  Duke  of  Savoy  as  his  page. 

It  is  needless  to  tell  with  what  demonstra- 
tions of  joy  he  was  received,  and  the  good 
bishop's  satisfaction  at  the  warlike  renown 
he  had  acquired  in  the  long  interval  of 
twenty-two  years  since  they  met. 

He  received  many  testimonies  of  esteem 
and  admiration  on  the  part  of  the  nobility. 
Each  outvied  the  other  in  giving  him  fetes; 
and  all,  even  the  ladies,  congratulated  them- 
selves on  the  honour  his  presence  did  to 
their  province.  He  could  not  have  been  in 
a  better  place  for  the  recovery  of  his  health ; 
but  whether  on  account  of  an  issue  from  his 
last  wound,  or  from  the  great  fatigues  he 
had  borne  in  many  succeeding  campaigns, 
he  was  attacked  with  a  violent  fever  which 
lasted  seventeen  days,  and  brought  him  very 
low  indeed.  When  he  found  himself  in  this 
state,  his  regret  was  not  that  death  was  near, 
but  that  he  must  die  in  his  bed. 

"  Oh,  heaven!  "  he  cried,  "  if  it  was  your 
will  to  take  me  to  yourself,  why  did  you  not 
let  me  die  at  the  feet  of  that  matchless  Duke 


268    g>potle0s  anir 


of  Nemours,  with  my  brave  companions! 
Why  did  I  not  die  when  I  was  so  grievously 
wounded  at  the  assault  of  Brescia  !  I  should 
have  accepted  death  with  joy,  following  the 
example  of  all  my  ancestors  who  have  died 
on  the  field  of  battle.  I  have  been  so  many 
times  exposed  there,  I  have  braved  so  much, 
and  on  so  many  perilous  occasions,  in  as- 
saults or  skirmishes,  and  have  I  only  escaped 
to  come  here  and  die  in  a  bed  like  a  woman  ? 
But,  God,  Thy  will  be  done.  All  my  con- 
fidence is  in  Thy  mercy.  I  am  a  great  sin- 
ner, but  I  hope  Thou  wilt  pardon  my  faults, 
and  accept  the  sacrifice  of  my  life,  as  an  ex- 
piation for  them."  His  regrets  and  senti- 
ments of  piety  were  so  touching,  that  all  the 
attendants  were  bathed  in  tears. 

While  he  was  in  this  state,  all  in  the  town, 
both  great  and  small,  nobles  and  common 
people,  the  bishop  and  the  clergy,  and  even 
the  nuns,  prayed  incessantly  for  Bayard's 
preservation.  At  last  God  was  favourable 
to  their  prayers,  his  fever  decreased  by  de- 
grees, and  in  eight  or  ten  days  left  him  en- 
tirely. 

His  recovery  was  slow,  but  with  time,  and 
the  care  they  took  of  him,  his  health  was 
entirely  reestablished,  and  during  the  few 
months  that  he  continued  at  Grenoble,  he 


Eife  of  iSaarfc          269 


gave  fdtes  to  the  ladies,  and  was  fdted  by 
them  in  return. 

During  this  interval  there  happened  to 
our  hero  a  gallant  adventure,  which  I  shall 
relate  with  pleasure,  because  Bayard  happily 
escaped  therefrom,  and  in  some  measure 
imitated  the  continence  of  Scipio. 

His  valet-de-chambre,  having  one  day  dis- 
covered a  young  and  beautiful  girl,  whose 
mother,  the  widow  of  a  man  of  gentle  blood, 
was  so  poor  that  she  often  wanted  bread 
both  for  herself  and  child,  brought  this  girl, 
persuaded  more  by  force  than  will,  secretly 
to  Bayard's  cabinet,  where  they  awaited  his 
return. 

When  he  arrived,  the  roguish  valet  told 
him  that  he  had  made  one  of  the  finest  dis- 
coveries in  the  world,  and  that  he  had  with 
him,  for  his  amusement,  at  that  moment, 
a  young  lady,  who  was  not  only  beautiful, 
but  noble. 

At  the  same  time  he  showed  her  to  Bay- 
ard, who  beheld  a  creature  beautiful  as  an 
angel,  but  with  her  eyes  inflamed  with  the 
tears  that  she  had  shed,  and  still  continued 
to  pour  forth. 

'  '  What  is  the  matter,  my  beautiful  child  ?  '  ' 
said  the  knight.  "  Why  do  you  weep  so  bit- 
terly ?" 


270    g>potie0g  anfc 


"Alas!"  cried  she,  throwing  herself  at 
his  knees,  "  I  know  too  well  that  my  mother 
has  delivered  me  to  your  will;  but  I  assure 
you  that  I  am  a  virgin,  that  my  honour  has 
never  been  sullied,  and  I  would  rather  that 
I  were  dead  than  behold  myself  in  your 
hands,  for  my  mother  has  only  brought  me 
here  through  her  own  and  my  misery,  for 
we  shall  die  with  hunger." 

Then  again  her  sobs  broke  forth  with  re- 
doubled vigour,  and  Bayard,  moved  almost 
to  tears,  seeing  so  much  virtue  in  this  young 
creature,  said  to  her:  "  In  truth,  my  dear 
young  lady,  I  am  very  far  from  seeking  to 
overthrow  those  noble  thoughts  which  I  find 
in  you.  I  have  always  respected  virtue, 
more  so  when  it  is  accompanied  by  birth. 
Pray  recover  yourself,  and  come  with  me, 
and  I  will  place  you  in  a  house  where  your 
honour  shall  be  in  safety." 

So  saying,  he  took  a  torch  from  his  valet, 
and  he  himself  conducted  the  young  lady  to 
the  house  of  a  relative  who  lived  near. 

On  the  morning  of  the  next  day  he  sent 
for  the  mother,  whom  he  deeply  reproached 
for  dishonouring  herself  and  daughter  in  the 
manner  I  have  related.  "  Especially,"  said 
he,  "  being  of  a  noble  race,  you  are  still 
more  criminal."  The  poor  woman,  thor- 


Eife  of 


oughly  frightened,  assured  him  that  her 
daughter  was  pure,  and  that  want  and  mis- 
ery were  the  only  causes  of  her  crime. 

"  But  tell  me,"  said  Bayard,  "  has  no  one 
yet  asked  her  in  marriage  of  you  ? " 

"  One  of  our  neighbours,"  she  replied, 
"  an  honest  and  well-to-do  man,  spoke  to  me 
about  her  a  short  time  since,  but  he  wants 
600  florins  with  her,  and  all  I  possess  in  the 
world  is  not  worth  half  the  money." 

"  And  would  he  marry  her,"  replied  Bay- 
ard, "  if  she  had  this  sum  ? " 

'  Yes,  my  lord,  certainly  he  would,"  an- 
swered the  widow. 

Then  the  knight  ordered  a  purse  to  be 
brought,  from  which  he  took  300  crowns, 
saying:  "  Here  are  200  crowns,  which  are 
worth  a  little  more  than  600  florins,  to 
marry  your  daughter,  and  100  crowns  to 
buy  her  dresses."  Moreover,  he  gave  her 
100  crowns  more  for  herself,  and  ordered 
his  valet  to  watch  the  mother  and  daughter, 
and  to  give  him  an  account  of  them  till  the 
marriage  was  contracted,  which  took  place 
three  days  after.  The  generosity  of  Bayard 
was  rewarded  by  the  satisfaction  he  felt  in 
having  preserved  the  honour  of  a  noble  and 
virtuous  girl,  and  by  his  generosity  having 
made  a  woman  exemplary  and  respectable. 


272         otless  anfc 


After  he  had  passed  some  time  in  Dau- 
phiny,  feted  and  caressed  by  everybody,  the 
king,  Louis  XII.,  sent  an  army  into  Guienne, 
under  the  orders  of  the  Duke  of  Longueville, 
to  recover  the  kingdom  of  Navarre  from  Fer- 
dinand, King  of  Arragon,  who  had  a  short 
time  before  usurped  it  from  the  King  John 
d'Albret,  to  whom  it  belonged  in  right  of 
his  wife  Catharine  de  Foix.  This  enterprise 
was  not  successful;  the  army  having  been 
a  long  time  in  the  country  without  any  suc- 
cess, a  part  commanded  by  Chabannes  was 
forced  to  recross  the  Pyrenees,  with  the 
King  of  Navarre.  A  little  while  after  they 
were  followed  by  Bayard,  leading  a  number 
of  heavy  pieces  of  artillery,  with  a  detach- 
ment of  soldiers,  who,  on  the  road,  took 
some  little  fortresses,  and  finally  came  to  lay 
siege  to  Pampeluna. 

At  four  leagues  from  this  town  was  a  cas- 
tle, whose  taking  became  interesting  in  de- 
tail, not  because  it  was  very  strong  in  itself, 
but  because  it  could  contain  enough  men  to 
succour  the  town,  or  at  least  to  make  the 
besiegers  uneasy.  The  King  of  Navarre  and 
Chabannes  begged  Bayard  to  accept  the 
charge  of  making  himself  master  of  it.  He 
accepted  the  commission  in  the  spirit  of  a 
man  who  had  never  found  any  difficulty  in 


Htfe  of  Bagarfc 


anything.  He  took  with  him  his  company, 
who  were  as  well  disposed  for  war  as  he  was, 
and  composed  of  men  who  had  most  of  them, 
as  we  have  already  said,  commanded  them- 
selves. He  there  joined  the  company  of 
Captain  Bonneval,  another  excellent  officer, 
many  adventurers,  and  about  800  lansque- 
nets, and  went  in  open  day  straight  to  the 
castle.  He  began  by  sending  a  trumpet  to 
summon  those  who  were  there  to  give  it 
back  to  the  King  of  Navarre,  to  whom  it 
belonged,  assuring  them  that  their  lives  and 
baggage  should  be  saved,  but  if  they  were 
taken  by  assault,  no  quarter  should  be  shown 
to  any  one. 

Those  within  the  castle  were  all  good  sol- 
diers, 100  Spaniards,  very  loyal  to  their  king, 
and  they  had  been  put  there  by  the  Duke  of 
Naxara  and  the  Alcalde  of  Donzelles,1  both 
of  whom  Ferdinand  had  appointed,  the  one 
viceroy,  the  other  lieutenant-general  in  the 
kingdom  of  Navarre.  Their  answer  was  that 
they  would  keep  the  place,  and  not  give  it 
up,  still  less  would  they  submit  personally. 
As  soon  as  this  answer  had  been  reported  to 
Bayard,  he  had  a  battery  constructed,  fur- 
nished with  four  large  pieces  of  cannon,  and 

1  Don  Didago  Ferdinand,  of  Cardoue,  one  of  the  bravest  and 
best  officers  of  his  time. 

18 


274    ,g>P*rties0  antr 


beat  a  breach  without  delay.  The  besieged, 
on  their  side,  had  a  good  number  of  arque- 
buses, with  two  falconets,  and  answered  very 
well  to  the  French  artillery;  but  notwith- 
standing all  this,  in  less  than  an  hour  the 
breach  was  large  enough,  although  difficult 
of  access,  because  it  was  necessary  to  get  up 
to  it.  Then  Bayard  sounded  to  the  assault, 
and  commanded  the  lansquenets  to  march 
and  do  their  duty;  but  it  was  necessary, 
before  arranging  them,  to  come  to  terms 
with  them.  They  told  him,  through  their 
interpreter,  that,  according  to  their  treaty, 
when  a  place  was  taken  by  assault  they 
should  receive  double  pay;  that  if  this  de- 
mand were  acceded  to  they  would  go  cheer- 
fully to  the  breach,  otherwise  not.  Bayard 
was  ignorant  of  this  treaty;  however,  he 
promised  them  that  if  they  took  this  place 
by  assault  their  demands  should  be  satis- 
fied. But  they  undoubtedly  expected  to  be 
paid  in  advance,  for  not  one  moved  from 
his  place.  The  adventurers  alone  marched 
boldly,  and  found  work  to  do,  for  if 
they  knew  how  to  attack,  those  within 
knew  equally  well  how  to  defend  them- 
selves. 

Bayard,  seeing  that  three  attacks  had  been 
unsuccessful,  had  retreat    sounded,  and  af- 


Htfe  of  ISagartr  275 

terwards  caused  cannons  to  be  fired,  ap- 
parently to  enlarge  the  breach,  but  really  to 
throw  the  besieged  off  the  track,  for  there 
had  entered  his  mind  one  of  those  expedi- 
ents which  were  never  wanting  to  him  when 
occasion  required.  To  put  it  in  execution, 
he  addressed  himself  to  one  of  the  men-at- 
arms,  whose  bravery  and  good  conduct  he 
knew,  named  La  Vergne,  and  said  to  him: 
"  Companion,  will  you  do  a  bold  deed,  for 
which  I  will  richly  reward  you  ?  Do  you 
see  that  large  tower  which  forms  the  corner 
of  the  rear  of  the  castle  ?  I  want  you  to 
take  with  you  thirty  or  forty  brave  men,  and 
whilst  I  give  the  assault,  and  occupy  the 
enemy  at  the  breach,  you  shall  lead  your 
men,  supplied  with  ladders,  to  enter  it 
there.  I  am  sure  you  will  find  no  one,  and 
you  know  what  you  have  to  do." 

La  Vergne  was  a  man  skilled  in  the  art  of 
war,  and  it  was  not  necessary  to  say  any 
more  to  him.  He  understood  the  plan,  and 
executed  it  to  perfection,  while  Bayard  had 
the  assault  given  with  more  impetuosity 
than  the  first  time.  The  besieged  were  all 
at  the  breach,  and  were  strangely  surprised 
to  hear  behind  them  the  cry  of  "  France! 
France!  Navarre!  Navarre!"  and  to  see 
themselves  charged  from  the  back  by  La 


Spotless  anfc 


Vergne  and  his  fifty  men.  They  wished, 
however,  to  defend  themselves,  but  at  that 
instant  the  besiegers  entered  by  the  breach, 
which  they  knocked  all  to  pieces  or  very 
nearly  so,  and  then  plundered  the  place. 
Bayard  left  a  small  garrison  there  under  the 
charge  of  a  gentleman  belonging  to  the  King 
of  Navarre,  and  as  he  was  preparing  to  set 
out  to  rejoin  the  French  camp,  the  lans- 
quenets who  had  refused  to  serve,  and  who 
had  done  nothing,  had  the  impudence  to  ask 
him,  through  their  interpreter,  for  the  double 
pay  which  he  had  promised  them.  The 
proposition  irritated  him.  '  Tell  those  ras- 
cally lansquenets,  "  he  replied,  "  that  I  would 
sooner  give  each  a  halter  to  hang  himself 
with.  The  cowards  wouldn't  go  to  the 
breach,  and  now  they  ask  double  pay.  I 
will  inform  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  their  com- 
mander, of  it,  and  the  Lord  of  Chabannes, 
that  he  may  get  rid  of  them  ;  they  are  worth 
nothing."  Their  interpreter  having  re- 
turned them  this  answer,  they  began  to 
murmur  loudly,  like  men  just  ready  to  re- 
volt. But  Bayard  sounded  to  the  standard, 
and  assembled  his  adventurers  and  his  men- 
at-arms,  resolved  to  exterminate  them  to 
the  last  man  if  they  made  the  least  move- 
ment. They  chose  the  better  part,  which 


Htfe  of 


was  to  be  quiet  and  return  with  the  others 
to  the  camp  at  Pampeluna. 

This  adventure,  instead  of  ending  in  a 
bloody  manner,  as  it  might  have  done,  ter- 
minated by  a  comic  scene  with  which  the 
reader  will  be  amused. 

When  Bayard  returned  'from  this  expedi- 
tion, he  was  received  by  the  King  of  Na- 
varre, Chabannes,  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  and 
the  other  captains,  with  all  the  expressions 
of  satisfaction  that  his  skill  and  the  service 
he  had  just  rendered  merited.  He  related 
to  them  the  insolent  pretension  of  the  lans- 
quenets, and  told  them  what  had  happened, 
at  which  they  only  laughed.  In  the  evening 
he  gave  a  supper  to  the  Duke  of  Suffolk  and 
to  many  other  officers  of  the  first  rank.  The 
supper  was  abundant  and  delicate,  and  all 
were  merry,  when,  at  the  end  of  the  meal, 
Pierrepont  came  to  tell  Bayard  that  there 
was  a  tipsy  lansquenet  who  was  looking  for 
him  to  kill  him.  The  knight  left  the  table, 
laughing,  took  his  sword  in  his  hand,  and 
addressing  himself  to  the  lansquenet:  "  Com- 
rade," said  he,  "  are  you  the  man  that  is 
looking  for  Captain  Bayard,  to  kill  him  ?  I 
am  he;  defend  yourself." 

The  tipsy  fellow  was  terribly  afraid,  and  re- 
plied, trembling,  and  jabbering  bad  French: 


278         otlegg  antr 


"  It  is  not  I  alone  who  wish  to  kill  you,  but 
all  the  lansquenets  together." 

"  Mercy,"  cried  Bayard;4'  all  the  lansque- 
nets! Quarter,  my  comrade  —  I  don't  feel 
capable  of  fighting  6,000  or  7,000  men." 

All  the  company  laughed  at  the  adven- 
ture, and  Bayard,  for  their  amusement,  made 
the  lansquenet  come  in.  He  placed  him  at 
table  opposite  himself,  and  supplied  him 
with  such  frequent  and  copious  bumpers 
that  he  finished  by  leaving  him  as  tipsy  as 
he  found  him,  and  then  sent  him  away.  The 
lansquenet,  well  satisfied,  swore  to  Bayard 
that  he  would  be  his  friend  for  life,  that  he 
was  a  worthy  man,  that  his  wine  was  good, 
and  that  he  would  defend  him  against  all 
the  lansquenets  in  the  world.  This  scene 
lasted  a  considerable  time,  and  diverted  all 
the  company,  who  laughed  till  they  cried  at 
the  conversation  that  the  wine  caused  this 
man  to  indulge  in,  and  which  his  bad  French 
made  still  more  amusing. 

But  to  return  to  the  siege  of  Pampeluna. 
The  day  after  the  reentrance  of  Bayard  into 
the  camp  the  place  was  breached,  and  they 
tried  to  give  the  assault  there,  but  the  Al- 
calde of  Los  Donzelles,  who  was  shut  up 
there,  defended  it  so  well  that  the  French 
were  obliged  to  suspend  the  assault,  after 


tlife  of  ISagarfc  279 

having  lost  many  men  there.  The  result  of 
this  campaign  was  very  unfortunate.  The 
army,  on  entering  Navarre,  had  made  there 
a  general  waste  of  all  the  good  things  of  the 
earth ;  the  corn  magazines  had  been  blown 
up,  and  the  mill-stones  broken.  They  soon 
had  reason  to  repent  of  this,  for  everything 
was  wanting  at  once,  and  the  famine  became  so 
great  that  many  soldiers  died  of  it ;  added  to 
that,  the  troops  were  barefooted  and  ragged, 
so  that  they  were  full  of  misfortunes. 

In  this  sad  plight,  and  to  finish  their  dis- 
grace, they  learnt  that  the  Duke  of  Naxara 
was  advancing  with  a  body  of  from  8,000  to 
10,000  men,  and  that  he  was  already  at  the 
Pont-de-la-Reine.  All  these  circumstances 
caused  Chabannes,  and  all  the  officers,  to  ad- 
vise the  King  of  Navarre  to  put  off  the  ex- 
pedition to  another  time,  in  consequence  of 
which  the  siege  was  removed  in  broad  day- 
light, and  the  artillery  taken  away;  but  it 
did  not  go  far,  for  they  had  hardly  gone  two 
or  three  days'  journey  with  it,  with  almost 
incredible  trouble  and  expense,  by  a  hilly 
road,  when  they  had  to  leave  it,  and  shatter 
it  to  pieces,  so  that  the  enemy  should  not 
profit  by  it.  Added  to  this,  they  were  con- 
tinually harassed  in  their  retreat,  and  had 
bloody  skirmishes  to  withstand. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

THE  Duke  of  Suffolk  was  in  this  army, 
and  had  formed  a  very  close  friend- 
ship with  our  hero. 

One  day  after  a  vigorous  skirmish,  which 
lasted  till  the  evening,  he  retired;  overcome 
with  lassitude,  hunger,  and  thirst,  he  came 
to  beg  some  supper  of  Bayard.  "  For,"  he 
said,  "  I  have  not  broken  my  fast,  and  my 
men  have  told  me  that  there  is  nothing  to 
eat  at  my  house." 

"  Very  willingly,"  replied  Bayard;"  I  will 
entertain  you  well." 

Then  calling  his  butler,  he  ordered  him  to 
hasten  the  supper,  and,  added  he,  "  Let  us 
be  served  as  well  as  if  we  were  in  Paris." 
Suffolk  laughed  with  all  his  heart  at  this 
joke,  knowing  that  no  one  in  the  army  had 
had  anything  but  millet  bread  for  two  days; 
but  he  was  agreeably  surprised  at  being  re- 
galed as  if  he  had  indeed  been  in  Paris. 

The  French  retired,  with  the  enemy  in 
pursuit,  which  disturbed  them  much.  How- 
ever, the  retreat  was  not  so  unfortunate  as 
it  might  have  been.  Bayard  especially  ac- 


ILife  of  iSagarfc 


quired  much  honour,  being  always  in  the 
rear-guard,  and  turning  and  facing  the  en- 
emy, whom  he  often  made  repent  of  their 
rashness.  In  fine,  the  army  reached  Bay- 
onne,  where  it  found  plenty  to  make  up  for 
the  previous  famine;  but  this  abundance 
even  was  a  misfortune,  for  many  soldiers 
died  from  over-eating. 

This  year,  1512,  closed  with  three  events. 
Firstly,  the  Venetians  returned  to  favour, 
and  made  peace  with  the  king.  Secondly, 
the  pope,  Julius  II.,  the  irreconcilable  en- 
emy of  the  king  and  the  French  nation, 
died.  He  had  always  either  been  fighting 
against  them  or  quarrelling  with  them,  as 
we  have  seen  in  the  course  of  this  history, 
and  he  carried  his  hatred  and  ill-will  to  the 
grave.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  Cardinal 
de  M£dicis,  the  same  who  was  made  pris- 
oner at  the  battle  of  Ravenna,  who  took  the 
title  of  Leo  X.  He  was  a  wise  man,  pro- 
tector, or  rather  restorer,  of  the  sciences, 
very  ambitious,  and  a  great  politician.  The 
third  event  was  that  the  English  made  a 
descent  upon  Brittany,  in  which  they  were 
not  successful.  One  day  one  of  their  largest 
vessels  fought  against  one  of  the  ships  of 
Queen  Anne,  Duchess  of  Brittany.  The 
English  ship,  named  the  Regent,  carried  the 


282 


most  brilliant  nobility  of  the  kingdom,  and 
in  large  numbers.  It  ran  against  the  queen's 
ship,  named  the  Franciscan  Nun,  but  as 
during  the  combat  they  threw  fire  into  each 
other,  they  were  both  burnt,  and  not  one 
on  board  escaped. 

The  year  1513  began  by  an  expedition 
into  Italy,  whence  the  French  were  again 
obliged  to  retire  with  great  loss.  The  army, 
commanded  by  the  illustrious  Louis  de  la 
Trimouille,  lost  a  battle  against  the  Swiss 
near  Novarra,  in  which  many  were  killed  on 
both  sides.  Two  sons  of  the  Lord  of  La 
Marck  were  left  there  for  dead.  Their 
father,  in  despair  at  this  misfortune,  went 
there  with  his  company  of  100  men-at-arms, 
to  see  them  again  or  perish  with  them.  He 
made  such  a  furious  charge  that  he  drove 
back  the  conquerors  to  a  ditch,  where  his 
two  sons  lay  amongst  the  dead.  He  put 
one  across  his  horse  before  him,  and  a  ser- 
vant took  the  other  in  the  same  manner,  and 
thus  they  took  them  to  the  camp,  pierced 
through  and  through  with  wounds.  How- 
ever, they  recovered  in  time.  The  elder 
was  afterwards  the  Marshal  of  Fleurange, 
and  the  other  the  Lord  of  Jametry,  and 
both  became  very  illustrious  men.1 

1  History  has  a  singular  story  of  the  battle  of  Novarra.     The 


Htfe  of  Bagartr          283 

After  this  sad  expedition  into  Italy,  and 
when  the  army  was  in  France  after  its  re- 
turn, the  king  was  not  long  idle.  Henry 
VIII.,  King  of  England,  at  the  instigation 
of  the  pope,  and  of  Ferdinand,  King  of 
Arragon,  and  through  information  received 
from  the  Emperor  Maximilian  I.,  made  a 
raid  in  Picardy,  near  Calais,  with  powerful 
forces.  Louis  sent  proportionate  forces 
against  him,  under  the  orders  of  Louis  of 
Hawin,  Lord  of  Fiennes,  governor  of  the 
province,  and  with  him  Bayard  and  a  num- 
ber of  other  good  captains. 

The  English  had  no  sooner  disembarked 
than  they  went  straight  to  lay  siege  to  Te- 
rouana,  which  was  a  good  place,  and  well 
fortified.  It  was  defended  by  two  brave 
men,  the  seneschal  of  Rouergue,  Francis  of 
Teligny,  and  Antony  of  Cr£qui,  Lord  of 

evening  before  it  was  given  all  the  dogs  in  the  French  army, 
after  howling  for  a  considerable  time,  suddenly  crossed  in  a 
pack  to  the  Swiss  camp,  as  if  they  had  known  that  they  were 
soon  to  change  masters.  This  is  not  the  only  historical  case 
we  have  of  such  conduct  on  the  part  of  dogs.  It  is  related  in 
English  history  that  Richard  II.  had  a  beautiful  greyhound  who 
had  never  caressed  any  but  him.  This  prince,  having  been 
defeated  and  made  prisoner  by  the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  who  dis- 
puted his  right  to  the  crown,  the  hound  crossed  over  to  him,  and 
overwhelmed  him  with  caresses.  The  duke  was  much  surprised, 
and  asked  Richard  what  it  meant.  Richard  replied,  "  It  is  a 
good  omen  for  you.  This  dog  knows  no  other  master  but  the 
king  of  England.  I  was  king  yesterday,  you  are  king  to-day." 


284    gutless  anfc 


Pontdomi.  They  had  under  their  command 
their  companies  of  men-at-arms,  a  good 
number  of  adventurers,  and  a  body  of  lans- 
quenets, commanded  by  their  captain,  Bran- 
dec.  There  were  enough  to  defend  the 
place  well,  if  they  had  had  sufficient  pro- 
visions and  munition  ;  but,  says  a  contem- 
porary historian,  those  were  nearly  always 
the  causes  that  prevented  success. 

The  English  army  was  commanded  by  the 
Duke  of  Suffolk  (Charles  Brandon)  and  the 
Captain  Talbot.  Whilst  they  cannonaded 
the  place,  the  King  of  England  disem- 
barked, and  he  was  nearly  taken  prisoner 
on  the  road  from  Calais  to  Terouana.  He 
had  with  him  nearly  12,000  foot-soldiers, 
amongst  whom  were  4,000  lansquenets,  but 
not  a  single  horse-soldier.  He  was  met  by 
Bayard,  who  commanded  a  detachment  of 
1,200  men-at-arms,  and  not  a  single  foot- 
soldier.  The  English  prince,  alarmed  at 
this,  dismounted,  and  made  his  lansquenets 
surround  him.  Bayard  absolutely  wished 
to  attack  them  with  his  1,200  men-at-arms, 
and  said  to  the  Lord  of  Fiennes:  "  Let  us 
charge  them.  If  we  break  them,  we  shall 
have  their  king;  if  they  drive  us  back,  our 
horses  will  carry  us  off  without  much  loss." 

Fiennes  answered  him:    "  Do  so  if  you 


Hife  of  ISagar*  285 

wish,  but  not  with  my  consent.  I  have  or- 
ders from  the  king  to  guard  my  country 
alone,  and  to  risk  nothing."  So  no  attack 
was  made,  and  Bayard  and  his  men  had  the 
vexation  of  seeing  the  King  of  England  and 
his  escort  pass.  But  at  last  our  hero  could 
contain  himself  no  longer.  He  fell  upon 
the  rear  of  the  troop,  and  soon  put  them  to 
the  double-quick,  so  that  in  their  hurry  they 
left  a  large  piece  of  cannon,  which  they 
called  St.  John,  being  one  of  twelve  similar 
pieces,  each  bearing  the  name  of  an  apostle, 
and  for  that  reason  called  by  Henry  his 
Twelve  Apostles. 

This  king,  a  few  days  after  his  arrival  at 
his  camp,  was  there  joined  by  the  emperor, 
who  brought  him  some  troops  from  Hainault 
and  Burgundy,  and  this  arrival  was  cele- 
brated by  cannonades  against  the  town. 
The  King  of  France  had  come  as  far  as 
Amiens,  and  sent  word  every  day  to  his 
general  to  victual  Terouana  at  any  price, 
which  was  very  difficult  to  do,  because  of 
the  number  of  troops  who  invested  it. 
However,  to  obey  the  king,  they  deter- 
mined to  do  it.  It  was  resolved  that  all  the 
cavalry  should  go  and  give  an  alarm  to  the 
enemy's  camp,  and  that  by  this  diversion 
they  would  make  it  easier  for  those  who 


286         ctless  atUr 


were  ordered  to  go  to  the  other  end  of  the 
town  to  throw  pieces  of  bacon  into  the 
ditch,  for  the  besieged  to  pick  up.  They 
tried  to  carry  this  plan  into  execution,  but 
the  enemies,  informed  by  their  spies,  placed 
12,000  English  foot-soldiers,  4,000  or  5,000 
lansquenets,  and  ten  pieces  of  cannon  in  a 
favourable  part,  so  that  as  soon  as  the 
French  cavalry  had  passed  to  give  the 
alarm,  this  body  of  troops  sallied  out  and 
cut  off  their  road;  and  at  the  place  where 
he  foresaw  that  the  attack  would  be  made, 
he  had  put  all  his  cavalry  in  arms,  with  the 
Burgundians  and  Hainaulters. 

On  the  French  side  they  had  received  or- 
ders not  to  fight,  but  only  to  occupy  the 
enemy,  to  second  the  transport  of  provisions 
into  the  town,  and  if  the  enemy  showed 
themselves  strong  to  retire  with  all  speed. 

The  order  was  pretty  well  executed,  but 
did  not  succeed;  for  the  French,  having 
commenced  the  skirmish  with  spirit,  and 
soon  perceiving  a  body  of  troops  coming  to 
enclose  them,  sounded  retreat,  and  every 
one  galloped  off  to  the  camp.  The  first  fell 
upon  the  companies  that  Chabannes  and  the 
Duke  of  Longueville  commanded,  and  threw 
them  all  in  disorder.  The  pursuers  seeing 
this  first  small  defeat,  stuck  to  their  point, 


ILife  of 


and  made  the  whole  army  turn  their  backs. 
Chabannes  was  energetic  in  trying  to  rally 
them,  but  in  vain.  '  Turn,  men-at-arms!  " 
he  cried.  "  It  is  only  a  false  alarm."  They 
did  not  listen  to  him  ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
fled  at  full  speed  towards  the  camp  where 
were  the  foot-soldiers  and  the  artillery. 
This  adventure  gave  to  the  day's  exploits 
the  name  of  the  Battle  of  Spurs.1  The 
Duke  of  Longueville  and  Chabannes  were 
made  prisoners  with  some  captains;  but 
Chabannes  escaped  from  the  hands  of  those 
who  took  him. 

Bayard,  obliged  to  retire  like  the  others, 
and  to  his  great  regret,  often  faced  about 
upon  the  enemy  with  about  fifteen  men-at- 
arms  of  his  company,  and  repulsed  them. 
He  found  a  little  bridge  over  a  very  deep 
current  of  water  which  crossed  the  plain. 
Now  this  bridge  was  so  narrow  that  only 
two  men  abreast  could  cross  it.  "  My 
friends,"  he  cried,  "let  us  stop  here,  and 
take  care  of  this  bridge.  I  promise  you  that 
the  enemy  shall  not  wrest  it  from  us  in  an 

1  M.  de  Voltaire,  in  his  general  history,  calls  the  Battle  of 
Spurs  a  complete  defeat.  All  the  contemporary  historians  say 
that  the  retreat  of  the  French  was  an  ordered  retreat  ;  that 
there  was  none  or  very  little  blood  shed,  and,  looking  at  it  in 
the  light  of  a  flight,  we  must  agree  that  it  was  not  only  volun- 
tary, but  very  wise. 


288    gpotiess  auto  J^eariess 


hour."  He  then  sent  a  man  of  his  troop  to 
Chabannes,  to  tell  him  where  he  was,  and 
to  say  that  he  would  stop  the  enemy  until 
Chabannes  should  send  him  help,  and  that, 
seeing  the  disorder  in  which  the  English 
were,  it  would  be  easy  to  defeat  them.  The 
Burgundians  and  Hainaulters  were  soon 
there,  and,  surprised  at  seeing  themselves 
stopped  by  so  few  men,  they  charged  them 
with  all  their  forces.  Bayard  showed  his 
customary  bravery,  and  would  have  given 
the  French  time  to  rally  and  come  to  him, 
when  he  perceived  a  troop  of  200  horses, 
which  gained  the  lower  part  of  the  current 
and  crossed  it  near  a  mill.  Seeing  himself 
shut  in  in  front  and  in  the  rear  without  any 
means  of  escape,  he  said  to  his  comrades  : 

"  Let  us  give  ourselves  up.  These  forces 
are  too  strong,  and  we  are  too  few.  They 
are  at  least  in  the  proportion  of  ten  to  one, 
and  all  our  prowess  will  be  of  no  use  to  us, 
for  our  horses  are  overcome  with  fatigue, 
and  our  men  too  far  off  to  help  us,  and  if 
these  English  archers  reach  us  they  will  cut 
us  to  pieces." 

His  advice  was  followed,  and  every  one 
gave  himself  up  to  the  nearest  of  the  en- 
emy's troops.  Bayard,  whose  presence  of 
mind  never  left  him,  perceived  a  well- 


ILife  of  iSagar*  289 

equipped  officer  who  had  retired  under  the 
trees  to  rest  and  refresh  himself ;  he  was  un- 
armed, and  his  sword  was  beside  him.  Our 
knight  ran  to  him,  and  snatching  up  his 
sword  and  putting  it  to  his  throat,  said  to 
him: 

"  Give  yourself  up,  man-at-arms,  or  you 
die!" 

The  knight,  much  astonished  at  being 
taken  by  surprise  in  this  manner,  did  not 
wish  to  die  there.  He  gave  himself  up,  say- 
ing: 

"  As  I  am  without  defence,  I  render  my 
sword  and  my  person  to  you ;  but  tell  me  to 
whom  I  have  given  myself  up." 

'  To  Captain  Bayard,"  replied  the  knight, 
"  who  is  himself  your  prisoner,  and  there  is 
my  sword." 

The  gentleman  understood  nothing  of  the 
adventure  yet,  but  Bayard  informed  him  of 
it  all,  and  made  his  condition  that  if  it  hap- 
pened that  the  English  wished  to  kill  him, 
he  should  give  up  his  arms  to  him.  The 
officer  agreed  to  this,  and  kept  his  word,  for 
they  had  to  defend  themselves  against  some 
scouts  who  amused  themselves  by  killing 
the  prisoners  when  they  found  nothing  more 
to  plunder. 

At  last  they  arrived  at  the  camp  of  the 
19 


290        otless  anfc 


King  of  England,  where  the  officer  lodged 
his  prisoner  in  his  tent,  and  treated  him  as 
a  man  who  honoured  valour  even  in  his 
enemy.  That  lasted  four  or  five  days,  at 
the  end  of  which  Bayard  said  to  him  one 
morning  with  a  very  serious  air: 

"  My  worthy  gentleman,  I  am  beginning 
to  tire  of  being  here  doing  nothing.  You 
will  oblige  me  much  if  you  will  have  me 
taken  to  the  camp  of  the  king,  my  master." 
'  What  ?"  said  the  Burgundian.  "  Eh  ? 
You  have  said  nothing  about  your  ransom 
yet." 

"  Nor  you  of  yours,"  replied  Bayard. 
"  Are  you  not  my  prisoner  ?  Did  I  not 
have  it  in  my  power  to  slay  you  ?  And  if 
I  gave  myself  up  to  you,  was  it  for  any 
other  reason  than  to  save  my  life  ?  I  have 
your  word,  and  you  will  keep  it;  if  not, 
sooner  or  later,  I  shall  fight  you." 

The  gentleman,  more  astonished  than  be- 
fore, did  not  know  what  answer  to  make  to 
him  ;  he  knew  his  name  too  well  to  wish  to 
fight  him.  However,  he  said  : 

"  Sir  Captain,  I  will  abide  by  the  judg- 
ment of  those  to  whom  we  report  our  case." 

The  emperor,  having  heard  that  Bayard 
was  in  the  camp,  and  seeing  the  joy  that  his 
capture  caused  everybody,  almost  as  great 


Hife  of  iSagarfc  291 

as  the  gain  of  a  battle,  sent  for  him,  and  re- 
ceived him  with  extraordinary  kindness. 

"  Captain  Bayard,  my  friend,"  said  he, 
"  the  sight  of  you  gives  me  great  joy. 
Would  to  God  that  I  had  many  such  men 
as  you !  It  seems  to  me  that  if  such  were 
the  case  I  should  not  be  long  in  requiting 
the  king  your  master  for  the  good  turns  he 
has  done  me  in  times  past.  But,"  added 
he,  "  it  appears  to  me  that  when  we  were  in 
battle  together  I  had  heard  it  said  that  Bay- 
ard never  fled." 

"  Sire,"  replied  the  knight,  "  if  I  had  fled 
I  should  now  not  be  here." 

Then  he  reminded  the  emperor  on  what 
occasions  he  had  been  in  battle  with  him. 
Just  then  the  King  of  England  arrived,  and 
he  also  received  Bayard  in  a  most  gracious 
manner.  Afterwards  he  joked  with  him 
upon  the  precipitate  retreat  of  the  French, 
and  said  that  he  had  never  seen  such  a  good 
run.  The  emperor  was  also  rather  witty  in 
his  remarks;  but  Bayard  interrupted  them 
by  saying  that  the  French  men-at-arms  were 
not  to  blame,  because  they  had  had  express 
orders  not  to  fight. 

"They  had,"  added  he,  "neither  foot- 
soldiers  nor  artillery,  and  it  was  doubtful 
whether  your  majesties  would  not  bring  all 


292    Spotless  an*r 


your  forces,  which  indeed  happened  ;  and 
they  know  that  the  French  nobility  enjoy  a 
settled  reputation;  not  that  I  place  myself 
among  their  number,  though." 

"You!"  replied  the  King  of  England. 
"  I  think  that  if  all  the  French  gentlemen 
were  your  equals,  the  siege  that  I  have  put 
before  Terouana  would  soon  be  raised.  But 
you  are  our  prisoner." 

"  Saving  the  respect  I  owe  to  your  majes- 
ties," said  Bayard,  "  I  cannot  allow  that  I 
am  a  prisoner,  and  I  beg  you  to  be  judges 
in  the  case." 

And  then,  in  presence  of  the  gentleman, 
he  related  the  transaction  as  it  had  occurred, 
and  the  officer  could  not  deny  any  of  the 
statement.  The  two  princes  appeared  to 
consult  each  other  by  their  looks,  and  the 
emperor  declared  that  Bayard  was  not  a 
prisoner,  and  that  the  Burgundian  was  rather 
his;  but  that,  considering  all  things,  they 
should  be  quits,  and  the  knight  should  have 
the  liberty  of  returning  to  his  camp  when 
the  King  of  England  should  allow  him.  , 
That  prince  was  ready  to  ratify  the  em- 
peror's judgment,  and  said  that  if  Bayard 
remained  six  weeks  on  parole  without  bear- 
ing arms  he  would  allow  him  to  visit  all  the 
towns  of  Flanders,  and  afterwards  give  him 


Htfe  of  Uagarli  293 

leave  to  depart.  The  knight,  with  one  knee 
on  the  ground,  thanked  the  two  princes  for 
their  decision,  and  a  few  days  after  left  them 
to  avail  himself  of  their  permission  to  visit 
the  country. 

The  King  of  England  secretly  proposed 
to  him  to  enter  into  his  service,  assuring 
him  that  he  would  load  him  with  riches  and 
honours.  Pope  Julius  had  proposed  the 
same  thing  to  him  at  the  end  of  1503,  after 
the  exploit  at  the  Garilliano,  promising  also 
to  make  him  Captain-General  of  the  Church ; 
but  he  had  only  one  answer  to  give  to  both, 
namely,  "  that  he  had  only  one  master  in 
heaven,  who  was  God,  and  one  upon  earth, 
who  was  the  King  of  France,  and  that  he 
would  never  serve  any  other." 

We  have  already  said  that  although  Bay- 
ard was  not  rich,  yet  there  was  no  man  who 
kept  a  better  table  than  he  wherever  he 
went.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  in  Flanders 
he  gave  f£tes  to  the  ladies,  and  regaled  the 
emperor's  subjects  so  well  and  so  often,  and 
especially  gave  them  such  good  wine,  al- 
though it  was  dear,  that  he  sent  them  away 
quite  satisfied,  and  they  wanted  nothing  but 
their  beds  when  they  left  his  house.  They 
would  very  much  have  liked  this  style  of  life 
to  last  longer,  but  as  soon  as  the  term  had 


294    Spotless  anij  jfearless 

expired  Bayard  took  leave  of  them,  and  was 
taken  in  safety  to  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  French  camp. 

The  town  of  Terouana  was  continually 
cannonaded,  and  neither  being  supplied  with 
men  or  provisions  it  was  finally  reduced  to 
capitulation.  The  articles  were  that  all  the 
soldiers  should  leave  with  bag  and  baggage, 
that  no  wrong  should  be  done  to  the  inhab- 
itants, and  that  the  town  should  not  be  de- 
stroyed. The  first  article  was  strictly  ob- 
served, but  the  others  were  not;  for  the 
King  of  England,  after  having  battered 
down  the  walls,  set  fire  to  the  town  in  vari- 
ous places.  The  ruin  of  this  town  was  com- 
pleted in  the  reign  of  Henry  II.,  and  in  1553 
by  Charles  V.,  and  now  scarcely  a  vestige  of 
it  remains. 

The  taking  of  the  town  of  Tournay  fol- 
lowed that  of  Terouana.  It  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  English  by  the  fault  of  the  gar- 
rison, which  refused  to  receive  a  reinforce- 
ment of  French  troops,  thinking  itself  strong 
enough  without  assistance  for  the  defence. 
The  winter  separated  the  armies;  the  King 
of  England  and  the  emperor  returned  to 
their  states,  and  the  French  were  scattered 
in  various  garrisons  in  Picardy  and  the  neigh- 
bouring provinces. 


af  ISagarfc  295 


In  the  course  of  this  same  year,  1513,  the 
Swiss,  led  by  the  Lord  of  Verzi,  and  accom- 
panied by  a  body  of  lansquenets,  to  the 
number  of  30,000  men,  made  a  descent  upon 
Burgundy,  where  was  the  governor  of  the 
province,  the  brave  Louis  de  la  Trimouille, 
who,  having  no  troops  to  oppose  them,  was 
obliged  to  shut  himself  up  in  Dijon,  where 
he  hoped  to  stop  this  large  army,  but  the 
town  was  soon  cannonaded  with  fury  and 
besieged  on  both  sides.  The  governor  did 
his  duty  nobly,  being  day  and  night  upon 
the  ramparts  ;  but  at  last  the  breaches  were 
made,  and  seeing  himself  surrounded  by  a 
very  few  men,  and  without  hope  of  help,  he 
saw  not  only  that  his  town  was  lost  if  he 
persisted  in  defending  it,  but  the  danger 
which  all  the  kingdom  would  be  in  at  the 
loss  of  the  place,  as  there  was  no  other  place 
of  defence  between  Dijon  and  Paris.  Seeing 
that  there  was  no  other  course  to  pursue,  he 
had  the  wisdom  to  treat  secretly  with  the 
Swiss. 

He  reminded  them  of  the  advantages  that 
they  had  already  received  from  the  kings  of 
France,  and  the  great  benefit  that  they 
would  always  find  in  an  alliance  with  this 
crown;  he  made  them  fair  promises,  and 
took  upon  himself  the  task  of  negotiating 


296    gutless  antr 


the  alliance  between  themselves  and  the 
king;  he  made  them  plainly  see  that  they 
had  everything  to  lose  and  nothing  to  gain 
by  desolating  the  kingdom;  in  short,  he 
treated  so  well  and  so  ably,  after  having 
agreed  to  give  them  a  large  sum  of  money,1 
that  they  returned,  taking  with  them  La 
Trimouille's  hostages,  the  Lord  of  Mairieres, 
his  nephew,  the  young  Rochfort,  son  of  Guy 
of  Rochfort,  Chancellor  of  France,  and  some 
notables  of  the  town. 

.This  treaty  of  the  Lord  of  La  Trimouille 
was  not  approved  by  everybody  at  the  court, 
where  jealousy  often  distorts  the  finest  ac- 
tions; but  the  blame  was  not  slow  to  be 
changed  into  praise,  and  then,  and  since,  all 
the  historians  have  reported  this  action  as 
one  of  the  greatest  services  which  could  have 
been  rendered  to  any  of  our  kings. 

Louis  XII.  during  his  stay  at  Amiens  had 
the  annoyance  of  learning  of  the  defeat  and 
death  of  his  relative  and  ally,  James  IV., 
King  of  Scotland,  who,  trying  to  enter  Eng- 
land with  a  large  army,  was  conquered  in 
battle8  by  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  and  left 
dead  on  the  field. 

1  Puffendorf  says  10,000  crowns,  which  would  be  worth  more 
than  a  million  of  our  present  money. 

*  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  this  battle  was  the  well- 
known  Flodden,  that  Scott  has  popularized  by  "  Marmion." 


Hife  of 


Winter  quarters  having  been  taken,  the 
king  went  to  Blois,  to  which  place  he  was 
attached,  as  it  was  his  birthplace.  Here  he 
hoped  to  be  able  to  rest  from  the  fatigues 
and  annoyances  that  he  had  undergone 
during  the  whole  year;  but  it  was  not  to 
be. 

The  court  was  hardly  established  at  Blois, 
when  the  Queen  of  France,  Anne,  Duchess 
of  Brittany,  was  seized  with  a  disease  which 
was  at  once  declared  to  be  mortal,  so  that 
all  the  skill  of  the  doctors  could  not  prevent 
her  death,  which  happened  eight  days  after, 
at  the  commencement  of  January,1  1513,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-eight  years. 

She  left  two  daughters,  Madame  Claude, 
who,  a  short  time  after,  married  Francis, 
Count  of  Angouleme,  who,  in  the  end,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  crown,  and  Madame  Ren£e, 
wife  of  Hercules  II.,  Duke  of  Ferrara.3 

In  the  month  of  October  following  (1514) 

1  The  month  of  January  was  then  the  tenth  month  in  the 
year.  The  year  began  at  Easter,  whatever  date  it  fell  upon  ; 
the  year  began  to  be  dated  from  the  ist  of  January,  in  1564,  by 
order  of  Charles  IX. 

*  She  embraced  the  doctrines  of  Calvin,  who  went  to  Ferrara 
for  the  express  purpose  of  bringing  about  her  conversion.  This 
change  in  her  religion  not  allowing  her  to  remain  in  Italy,  she 
returned  to  France  in  the  following  reign.  Francis  I.  gave  her 
the  Duchy  of  Montargis  for  appanage.  She  died  there  in  1568, 
without  being  reconciled  to  the  Church  of  Rome. 


298 


the  king  married  again.  His  bride  was 
Mary,  sister  to  the  King  of  England.  It 
was  the  Duke  of  Longueville,  made  prisoner 
at  Terouana,  and  taken  to  England,  who 
negotiated  this  alliance,  for  the  consumma- 
tion of  which  the  king  did  not  appear  in  a 
hurry.  But  he  wished  for  peace.  His 
finances  were  exhausted,  his  troops  dimin- 
ished, and  he  feared,  above  all  things,  to 
oppress  his  people  by  taxation. 

The  princess  was  taken  to  Abbeville,  and 
thence  to  Paris,  where  she  was  received  with 
astonishing  magnificence.1  The  king  had 
the  kindness  to  change  his  mode  of  life  in 
favour  of  his  young  wife  ;  he  enjoyed  plea- 
sures, and  attended  fetes  with  her,  and  often 
carried  them  far  into  the  night,  so  that  in- 
stead of  getting  up,  and  going  to  bed  early, 
as  he  had  been  accustomed  to  do,  he  gave 
himself  up  to  a  mode  of  life  which  shortened 
his  days.  He  died  after  a  year  of  widow- 
hood, and  three  months  of  his  second  mar- 
riage, on  the  1st  of  January,  1514.  He  was 
a  good  prince,  and  much  lamented  by  his 
people,  who  embalmed  his  memory  forever 

1  It  was  then  the  custom  to  give  a  triumphal  reception  to 
kings  and  queens,  which  were  very  sumptuous  and  very  mag- 
nificent for  those  times.  The  custom  ceased  in  Henry  the 
Second's  reign.  The  route  of  these  grand  entries  was  always 
through  the  gate  and  street  of  St.  Denis. 


ttife  at  tSaartr  299 


by  bestowing  on  him  the  surname  of  Father 
of  the  People.  By  the  death  of  Louis  the 
crown  passed  by  right  to  the  Count  of  An- 
goule'me,1  who  was  twenty  years  old,  and  a 
son-in-law  of  Louis.  He  was  conducted  to 
Rheims,  and  consecrated  with  a  pomp  of 
which  there  is  no  previous  example.  The 
fetes  began  again  on  his  entrance  into  Paris, 
where  he  remained  till  Easter,  and  during 
this  interval  he  made  his  treaty  of  peace, 
through  the  mediation  of  Charles,  Archduke 
of  Austria,  Count  of  Flanders,  who  was  to 
marry  Madame  Ren£e,  sister  to  the  queen. 
This  marriage  was  broken  off  at  the  peace  a 
short  time  after,  and  she  married  the  Duke 
of  Ferrara,  as  we  have  said.  The  Queen  of 
France,  widow  of  Louis  XII.,  married  the 
Duke  of  Suffolk,  and  returned  to  England. 
The  Duke  of  Bourbon  was  made  Constable 
of  France  at  twenty-six  years  of  age;  and 
his  sister  married  the  Duke  of  Lorraine, 
Anthony  I. 

(1515.)     The  new  king  did  not  give  him- 
self completely  up   to  pleasure;    he  medi- 

1  He  was  a  grandson  of  John,  Duke  of  Orleans,  who  was  the 
son  of  Louis  I.,  also  Duke  of  Orleans,  and  Valentina  of  Milan. 
Louis  I.  was  brother  to  the  King  Charles  VI.  He  was  assassi- 
nated by  order  of  the  Duke  of  Burgundy.  Francis  I.,  as  the 
great-grandson  of  Valentina  of  Milan,  had,  through  her,  the 
same  claims  upon  this  duchy  as  Louis  XII. 


300         atlegg  auto 


tated  reconquering  his  duchy  of  Milan, 
which  the  Sforzas  continued  to  hold  in  sov- 
ereignty. He  ordered  the  troops  to  come 
secretly  by  the  Lyonnais  into  Dauphiny, 
where  Bayard  (whom  he  had  made  lieuten- 
ant-general of  the  province)  was  awaiting 
them.  He  sent  orders  for  them  to  advance 
into  the  lands  of  the  Marquisate  of  Saluces, 
where  the  Lord  Prospero  Colonna  was  with 
the  troops,  and  the  title  of  lieutenant-gen- 
eral of  the  pope,  and  treated  these  lands  as 
conquered  country,  excepting  one  place 
called  Ravel,  strong  enough  to  hold  out 
against  him. 

We  have  seen,  in  the  course  of  this  his- 
tory, that  Bayard  was  always  the  first  on  an 
expedition,  and  the  last  at  a  retreat.  We 
will  give  an  account  of  his  first  endeavours 
in  the  country.  He  knew  at  first  that  this 
Prospero  Colonna  had  with  him  300  men-at- 
arms,  and  a  number  of  light  horse,  all  per- 
fectly mounted  ;  he  also  knew  where  he  or- 
dinarily lodged,  and  resolved  to  surprise 
him.  He  had  with  him  his  company  of  100 
men-at-arms,  and  from  300  to  400  foot- 
soldiers,  but  he  had  not  enough  cavalry  to 
carry  out  his  plan,  in  which  the  infantry 
were  of  no  service.  He  wrote  to  the  Con- 
stable de  Bourbon  at  Brian$on,  telling  him 


ILiit  of  Itfagarfc  301 

this,  and  the  constable  sent  word  to  the 
king,  who  was  already  at  Grenoble,  and  who 
ordered  three  of  his  bravest  captains  (Cha- 
bannes,  Humbercourt,  and  D'Aubigny)  to 
join  him  with  their  companies. 

As  soon  as  Bayard  knew  they  were  on  the 
road,  he  entered  Piedmont  with  his  men-at- 
arms  only,  but  Colonna,  knowing  their  small 
number,  did  not  disturb  himself,  and  re- 
mained quiet.  The  knight  communicated 
his  plan  to  two  Piedmontese  gentlemen,  to 
surprise  the  town  of  Carmagnola.  Indeed, 
as  soon  as  the  reinforcement  arrived,  Bayard 
assembled  the  captains,  and  showed  them 
that  there  was  no  time  to  lose,  because,  if 
Colonna  were  informed  of  their  number,  he 
would  not  wait  for  them,  or  perhaps  he 
would  call  the  Swiss  to  his  aid.  '  Who 
are,"  said  he,  "  in  large  numbers  at  Pignerol 
and  Saluces.  For  that  reason,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  my  advice  is  that  you  give  your 
horses  time  for  repose  and  refreshment  to- 
night, and  to-morrow  we  will  march  at  break 
of  day.  It  is  true  we  shall  have  a  stream  of 
water  to  pass,  but  the  Lord  of  Morete,  who 
is  here  now,  and  who  knows  the  country, 
will  show  you  a  ford  where  you  can  cross 
without  danger."  Every  one  went  to  take 
a  few  hours's  rest,  and  between  two  and 


302         otUss;  antr 


three  o'clock  in  the  morning  all  were  on 
horseback,  and  marched  away  as  quietly  as 
possible. 

Colonna  was  in  Carmagnola;  but  having 
the  fixed  notion  that  Bayard  had  only  his 
own  company,  he  would  not  have  sallied 
out  so  soon,  but  that  the  same  night  that 
the  French  were  making  their  plans  to  sur- 
prise him  at  break  of  day,  he  received  or- 
ders to  go  to  Pignerol  to  assist  at  a  council 
which  was  to  be  held  there,  to  talk  of  the 
news  they  had  received  of  the  march  of  the 
troops  from  France.  He  set  out  then  pretty 
early,  and  well  accompanied,  to  go  and  dine 
at  a  little  town  named  Villafranca  on  the 
Po,  at  seven  or  eight  miles  from  Carma- 
gnola. When  Bayard's  company  arrived  at 
the  castle  of  the  last-named  town,  they 
learnt  that  Prospero  had  only  left  it  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  and  they  were  informed  of 
the  road  he  had  taken.  It  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  express  the  vexation  of  everybody 
at  losing  such  a  chance.  The  captains  de- 
liberated as  to  the  part  they  had  to  perform  ; 
some  wished  to  go  forward,  others  were  un- 
decided, but  Bayard  reassured  them,  say- 
ing: "  As  we  have  come  so  far,  I  propose 
that  we  follow  them,  and  if  we  overtake 
them  in  open  field,  it  must  be  some  great 


Hife  of  Baartr  303 


misfortune  indeed   which  will  prevent   our 
leaving  some  there." 

All  agreed  with  him,  and  said  it  was  nec- 
essary to  set  out  immediately;  but  before 
doing  so  the  Lord  of  Morete  alone,  and  dis- 
guised, was  sent  on  before  to  discover  the 
enemy's  situations.  Morete  acquitted  him- 
self well  and  quickly,  and  told  them,  on  his 
return,  that  Colonna  and  his  whole  escort 
were  going  to  dine  at  Villafranca  in  the 
greatest  security.  They  immediately  agreed 
upon  the  order  of  their  march.  Humber- 
court  was  to  go  first  with  100  archers  ;  Bay- 
ard, at  a  bow-shot's  distance,  should  follow 
him  with  100  men-at-arms;  Chabannes  and 
D'Aubigny  bringing  up  the  rear  with  the 
remainder  of  the  troop. 

In  the  meantime  Prospero  Colonna  had 
received  information  from  one  of  his  spies 
that  the  French  were  in  the  fields  in  large 
numbers.  "  I  know  what  it  is,"  he  replied; 
"it  is  only  Captain  Bayard  and  his  com- 
pany, at  least  if  the  others  have  not  flown 
over  the  mountains." 

A  moment  afterwards  another  spy  came 
and  said  to  him:  "  My  lord,  the  French  are 
quite  close  to  us  with  more  than  1,000 
horse." 

This  second  piece  of  news  staggered  him 


304    gpotiess  anfc 


a  little,  and  calling  one  of  his  gentlemen,  he 
said  to  him:  "Take  twenty  knights  with 
you,  follow  the  road  to  Carmagnola,  and  see 
what  is  going  on,  and  come  and  tell  me." 
Then  he  sent  his  quartermaster  to  go  and 
prepare  his  men  at  Pignerol,  and  sat  down 
to  table. 

In  the  meantime  the  French  troop  was 
nearing  them,  according  to  the  plan  that 
had  been  agreed  upon  ;  the  first,  being  at 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Villafranca, 
discovered  the  gentleman  whom  Prospero 
had  sent  to  bring  news  of  them.  As  soon 
as  he  and  his  escort  caught  sight  of  the 
French,  they  turned  their  backs  and  re- 
traced their  steps  at  full  speed.  Humber- 
court  and  his  men  pursued  them  at  full 
speed,  after  informing  Bayard  of  what  had 
happened,  who  immediately  followed  in 
their  train.  Humbercourt  reached  the  fugi- 
tives as  they  were  entering  the  town,  and 
about  to  close  the  gate  ;  but  he  and  his  men, 
crying  "France!  France!"  hindered  their 
doing  so,  and  did  marvellous  feats  of  arms, 
without  any  accident,  excepting  a  slight 
wound  that  Humbercourt  received  in  the 
face.  Bayard,  who  had  soon  joined  him, 
with  much  clatter  and  noise,  made  himself 
master  of  the  gate. 


Htfe  of  iSagarti  305 

The  quartermaster,  who  heard  this  noise 
as  he  left  the  town  by  the  opposite  gate,  re- 
turned, and  put  himself  in  defence,  but  he 
was  soon  conquered  and  part  of  his  men 
slain.  Chabannes  and  D'Aubigny,  who 
were  close  behind  Bayard,  put  a  guard  at 
the  first  gate,  and  went  themselves  to  take 
care  of  the  second  (for  there  were  only  two), 
so  that  no  one  should  leave  it ;  but  notwith- 
standing these  precautions,  two  Albanians 
crossed  the  small  plank  of  the  drawbridge, 
and  ran  to  a  troop  of  4,000  Swiss,  telling 
them  of  the  danger  Prospero  was  in.  While 
he  was  gone,  Prospero  was  surrounded  and 
attacked  in  the  house  where  he  was  dining. 
He  tried  at  first  to  defend  himself;  but 
when  he  saw  the  large  number  of  assailants, 
and  heard  the  names  of  the  captains  who 
were  against  him,  he  saw  that  resistance  was 
useless,  and  gave  himself  up  with  great  re- 
gret, in  despair  at  having  been  surprised 
there,  instead  of  waiting  for  the  French  in 
the  open  field. 

Bayard,  who  was  as  generous  in  victory  as 
he  was  brave  in  action,  said  to  him  to  con- 
sole him:  "  Lord  Prospero,  it  is  the  fate  of 
war;  we  gain  one  day  and  lose  the  next; 
but  you  tell  me  that  you  wish  you  had  met 
me  in  the  open  field.  Thank  God  that  he 

20 


306     gjotUss  anfc 


did  not  permit  it,  for  I  assure  you  that,  see- 
ing the  courage  of  our  men,  you  and  yours 
would  have  been  troubled  to  escape  us." 

"  I  would  to  God,"  replied  Prospero, 
coldly,  "  that  it  had  happened  so.  I  would 
willingly  have  fallen  on  the  field." 

With  him  were  taken  three  captains,  the 
Count  of  Policastro,  Pierre  Morgant,  and 
Charles  Cadamastro.  Afterwards  the  French 
began  to  plunder  their  baggage  and  effects. 

The  booty  was  considerable  considering 
the  few  men  who  were  taken  ;  and  if  they 
had  been  careful,  they  would  have  had 
above  the  worth  of  100,000  ducats;  but 
there  were  many  things  broken  and  lost. 
The  most  valuable  part  of  the  booty  was 
the  horses,  of  which  there  were  nearly  700, 
and,  amongst  the  number,  400  Spanish 
horses  of  remarkable  beauty.  Prospero 
confessed  to  them  that,  for  his  part,  he  lost 
more  than  50,000  ducats'  worth  in  gold  and 
silver  vessels,  jewels,  and  coined  money. 
The  French  could  not  carry  all  away,  for 
they  were  informed  that  the  Swiss  were 
coming  to  attack  them,  and  that  they  were 
not  far  off.  Hearing  that,  they  had  retreat 
sounded,  every  one  seizing  what  he  could 
carry  off  most  easily.  They  made  the  pris- 
oners march  before  the  troop  and  retired. 


Eife  of  ISasatlr  307 

As  they  left  the  town  by  one  gate  the 
Swiss  entered  by  the  other.  They  had  both 
horse  and  foot-soldiers,  but  they  did  not 
pursue  the  French.  Thus  finished  this  ex- 
pedition, of  which  Bayard  had  the  honour 
both  of  the  planning  and  success,  and  in 
which  Prospero  Colonna  was  taken  prisoner 
by  a  man  whom  he  had  boasted  he  would 
take  sooner  or  later,  like  a  bird  in  a  cage. 
The  king  in  the  meantime,  at  the  head  of 
his  army,  had  already  advanced  far  over  the 
mountains,  which  no  army  had  ever  crossed 
before.  At  the  mountain  of  Santa  Paolo  he 
received  the  news  of  the  taking  of  Prospero. 
This  intelligence  gave  him  great  pleasure, 
for  he  knew  Prospero  to  be  a  valiant  man, 
and  if  he  had  been  present  at  the  battle 
which  was  given  a  short  time  after,  he  would 
have  had  with  him  at  least  1,000  men-at- 
arms,  some  Spanish,  and  some  belonging  to 
the  pope,  who  would  have  been  powerful 
enough  to  decide  the  victory. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

THE  king  having  crossed  the  mountains, 
descended  into  Piedmont,  and  passed 
through  Turin,  where  he  was  received  by 
the  Duke  of  Savoy  in  a  manner  befitting  his 
dignity  as  King  of  France,  and  as  a  near 
relation  and  ally  of  the  duke.  The  Swiss, 
who  were  posted  in  various  parts  to  bar 
their  progress,  having  heard  of  the  over- 
throw of  Prospero  Colonna,  took  the  road 
to  Milan,  with  the  French  at  their  heels. 
While  these  events  were  occurring,  a  truce 
was  proposed,  and  looked  upon  even  as 
already  concluded.  That  gave  an  oppor- 
tunity to  the  Duke  of  Gueldres,  an  ally  of 
France,  who  had  brought  10,000  lansquenets 
to  the  king's  assistance,  to  return  to  his 
country,  leaving  his  troops  under  the  orders 
of  the  Duke  of  Guise  (Claude  of  Lorraine, 
brother  of  the  reigning  duke),  and  of  his 
lieutenant,  the  Captain  Michel.  The  king 
approached  to  within  twelve  or  fifteen  miles 
of  Milan,  where  the  Swiss  were  established. 
But  the  negotiations  were  broken  by  the 


Hift  of  ISagartr  309 

wickedness  of  the  Cardinal  of  Sion.1  He 
was  a  sworn  enemy  of  France,  and  now 
gave  a  fatal  proof  of  his  hatred.  He  was  at 
Milan,  and  feared  that,  by  the  treaty  then 
negotiating,  this  duchy  would  fall  into  the 
king's  hands.  Whilst  Lautrec  had  gone  to 
Galenas,  to  carry  the  necessary  preliminary 
money,  he  convened  the  Swiss,  and  har- 
angued them  with  so  much  rage  and  fury, 
that  they  took  up  arms,  left  the  town,  and 
went  like  madmen  to  attack  the  king's  camp, 
which  was  not  prepared  for  this  violent  in- 
cursion. The  constable  who  was  in  the  van- 
guard quickly  put  himself  on  the  defensive, 
and  the  king,  who  had  just  sat  down  to 
table,  left  it  to  go  to  the  help  of  his  men. 
The  skirmish  had  already  begun,  and  many 
were  dead  on  both  sides.  The  king's  lans- 
quenets, wishing  to  signalize  themselves  by 
a  bold  stroke,  and  throw  themselves  on  the 
Swiss,  tried  to  cross  a  ditch,  which  was  be- 
fore the  French  camp ;  but  when  they  had 
crossed  it  to  the  number  of  between  700  and 
800,  the  Swiss  attacked  them  on  the  flank, 
and  drove  the  greater  part  of  them  into  the 
ditch.  The  slaughter  would  have  been  im- 

1  Matthew  Schiner,  or,  according  to  others,  Schaner,  Bishop 
of  Sion,  in  the  Valais,  a  mortal  enemy  of  the  French  name. 
He  died  a  short  time  after  this  exhibition  of  anger. 


310         otless  anfc 


mense  if  the  Duke  of  Guise,  the  constable, 
the  Count  of  St.  Pol,  Bayard,  and  several 
others  had  not  gone  to  their  assistance,  and 
driven  back  the  Swiss.  The  Duke  of  Guise 
was  left  for  dead  in  this  action.  The  van- 
guard routed  the  enemy,  2,000  of  whom,  in 
their  flight,  passed  before  the  king,  who 
charged  them  briskly,  and  killed  many;  but 
he  was  in  danger  of  losing  his  life,  for  he 
had  his  buff  coat  pierced  with  a  halberd 
stroke. 

The  night  separated  the  combatants,  who 
did  not  meet  again.  Every  one  retired  to 
his  own  side,  and  remained  under  arms  till 
day,  the  king  remaining  on  horseback  with 
the  meanest  of  the  soldiers. 

In  the  last  charge  upon  the  Swiss  a  strange 
adventure  happened  to  Bayard,  in  which  he 
marvellously  escaped  losing  his  life.  He 
was  mounted  on  a  spirited  horse,  who, 
feeling  himself  wounded  with  many  pikes, 
slipped  his  bridle,  and  not  feeling  the  bit, 
took  his  course  right  through  the  Swiss,  and 
would  have  carried  his  rider  into  another 
troop  which  would  have  given  him  no  quar- 
ter. By  good  fortune  the  horse  became  en- 
tangled in  some  vine-stocks  hanging  from 
one  tree  to  another,  according  to  the  Italian 
custom,  and  there  he  was  obliged  to  stop. 


Htfe  of  iSagarlr 


If  Bayard  was  ever  in  fear  for  his  life  it  was 
then  ;  however,  he  preserved  his  customary 
presence  of  mind.  He  slid  from  his  horse 
to  the  ground,  left  all  his  armour,  and  creep- 
ing on  his  hands  and  feet  so  as  to  escape  ob- 
servation, turned  to  the  direction  whence  he 
heard  cries  of  "  France!  France!  "  and  ar- 
rived in  safety  at  the  king's  camp,  thanking 
God  with  all  his  heart  for  his  deliverance 
from  so  great  a  danger. 

The  first  man  he  met  was  the  Duke  of 
Lorraine,  by  whom  he  was  particularly  be- 
loved and  esteemed.  The  duke  was  much 
astonished  to  see  him  on  foot,  unarmed, 
and  in  such  a  plight.  Bayard  related  his  ad- 
venture to  him,  and  the  prince  immediately 
gave  him  a  splendid  horse,  which  he  had 
received  as  a  present  from  Bayard,  who 
gained  it  at  the  first  taking  of  Brescia.1 

1  "This  horse,"  says  the  Loyal  Servant,  "was  named  Le 
Carinatt,  and  had  been  formerly  presented  to  the  duke  by 
Bayard  himself,  who  had  won  him  at  the  taking  of  Brescia. 
He  (the  horse)  was  left  for  dead  after  the  battle  of  Ravenna, 
when  the  good  knight  leapt  from  off  his  back,  by  reason  that  he 
had  two  pike  wounds  in  the  flanks,  and  more  than  twenty  gashes 
in  the  head  from  swords  ;  but  next  day  he  was  found  grazing, 
and  began  to  neigh  ;  in  consequence  of  which  he  was  brought 
back  to  the  good  knight's  quarters,  and  there  healed.  Incredi- 
ble things  are  told  respecting  him  :  he  suffered  himself  to  be 
handled  like  any  human  being,  probes  to  be  put  into  his  wounds 
without  stirring,  and  ever  after,  when  a  sword  chanced  to  meet 
his  eyes,  he  would  run  and  seize  it  fiercely  with  his  teeth.  Was 


atttr 


Bayard,  mounted  once  more,  was  grieved 
at  being  without  his  helmet,  not  only  be- 
cause he  was  so  heated  with  walking  that 
he  was  in  danger  of  taking  a  violent  cold 
without  it,  but  he  did  not  consider  the  bat- 
tle over  yet.  At  this  moment  he  saw  near 
him  a  gentleman,  a  friend  of  his,  who  had 
his  helmet  carried  by  his  page;  he  borrowed 
it  of  him,  resolved  not  to  return  it  till  after 
the  battle,  which  had  begun  at  daybreak, 
and  did  not  end  until  nearly  midday. 

The  Swiss  at  first  directed  their  attacks 
against  the  French  artillery,  who  destroyed 
a  great  number  of  them.  The  fight  was 
fierce  and  bloody  on  both  sides  ;  at  last  they 
were  entirely  defeated,  and  left  10,000  or 
12,000  of  their  men  on  the  field.  The  rest 
withdrew  towards  Milan,  fighting  their  way, 
and  in  pretty  good  order.  They  were  pur- 
sued both  by  the  French  and  Venetians, 
whom  the  seignory  had  sent  to  the  king, 
commanded  by  the  noble  Bartholomew  d'Al- 
viani,  who  lost  several  of  his  best  officers, 
amongst  others  the  young  Petigliano.1  The 

never  seen  a  more  courageous  horse,  not  even  excepting;  Alex- 
ander's courser,  Bucephalus."  —  From  the  translation  by  Robert 
Southey. 

1  He  belonged,  as  also  the  Count  Petigliano,  whom  we  have 
so  often  mentioned,  to  the  illustrious  house  of  the  Ursino  at 
Rome. 


ILife  of  ISagarfc  313 

French  also  lost  many  illustrious  men,  such 
as  the  Count  of  St.  Pol,  the  brave  Humber- 
court,  the  Count  of  Saucerre,  and  Lord  of 
Muy,  the  Prince  of  Salmon  (cadet  of  Louis 
de  la  Trimouille),  and  the  Count  of  Bussy, 
brother  of  the  late  grand  master  of  Chau- 
mont,  who  was  wounded  there,  and  died 
soon  after. 

The  Swiss  did  not  remain  long  at  Milan. 
The  day  after  their  defeat  they  commenced 
their  journey  to  their  own  country.  The 
king  was  undecided  whether  he  should  send 
troops  after  them  to  put  an  end  to  them ; 
but  he  concluded  that  it  was  better  to  let 
them  go,  foreseeing  that  he  might  require 
them  in  the  end ;  but  if  he  had  wished,  not 
a  single  one  would  have  returned  whence  he 
came.  So  much  for  the  success  which  at- 
tended the  charitable  harangue  of  the  Car- 
dinal of  Sion. 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  during 
supper,  the  king  talked  a  great  deal  of  this 
battle  and  of  those  who  had  distinguished 
themselves  in  it.  All  voices  united  to  give 
the  palm  to  the  Knight  Bayard,  who,  as  he 
always  did,  had  performed  noble  and  valiant 
deeds,  and  who  received  from  the  king  the 
most  glorious  reward  that  a  subject  can  hope 
for  from  his  prince.  The  king  wished  to  re- 


ceive  the  order  of  knighthood  from  his  hands. 
Bayard  excused  himself  with  his  ordinary 
modesty,  saying  that  such  honour  did  not 
belong  to  him,  but  rather  to  princes  of  the 
blood,  or  other  great  lords,  who  had  distin- 
guished themselves  more  than  he  had.  But 
the  king  was  determined,  and  ordered  him 
to  do  his  bidding  in  these  words : 

"  Before  bestowing  the  honour  of  knight- 
hood on  those  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves in  battle,  I  must  myself  receive  that 
honour  from  one  who  is  a  knight ;  for  which 
reason,  Bayard,  my  friend,  I  wish  to  be 
knighted  by  your  hand  this  day,  because  he 
who  has  fought  on  foot  and  on  horseback 
better  than  all  others  is  reputed  the  most 
worthy  knight.  It  is  thus  with  you,  who 
have  fought  in  many  battles  against  many 
nations.  So,  Bayard,  make  haste,  and  quote 
neither  laws  nor  canons.  Do  my  will 
and  command,  if  you  wish  to  be  amongst 
the  number  of  my  good  servants  and  sub- 
jects." 

"  I  can  only  obey,"  replied  Bayard,  and 
taking  his  sword,  he  said:  "  Sire,  may  this 
be  as  efficacious  as  if  done  by  Roland,  or 
Oliver,  Godfrey,  or  Baldwin,  his  brother." 
Then  he  performed  the  ceremony,  and  added : 
"  In  good  truth,  you  are  the  first  prince  that 


Etfe  a!  ISagartr  315 

ever  was  made  a  knight.  God  grant  that  in 
battle  you  may  never  fly."  Then,  having 
kissed  his  sword,  and  holding  it  in  his  right 
hand,  he  said  :  "  Glorious  sword,  that  to-day 
has  had  the  honour  of  knighting  the  great- 
est king  in  the  world,  I  will  only  employ 
thee  in  future  against  the  infidels,  enemies 
of  the  Christian  name.  In  truth,  my  good 
sword,  thou  shalt  be  kept  as  a  sacred  relic, 
and  honoured  above  all  others."  Then  he 
made  two  leaps,  and  replaced  his  sword  in 
its  scabbard.1 

This  sword  has  unfortunately  been  lost.8 
Charles  Emanuel,  Duke  of  Savoy,  wished 
to  have  it  as  a  relic  of  great  value,  and  asked 
the  heirs  of  Bayard  for  it  after  his  death. 
Not  succeeding  in  getting  that,  he  obtained 
his  mace  from  Charles  of  Motet,  Lord  of 
Chichiliano,  one  of  his  heirs,  to  whom  he 
wrote  thanking  him,  saying:  "  That  mingled 
with  the  satisfaction  that  he  felt  at  placing 
this  treasure  in  the  best  place  in  his  gallery, 
was  a  feeling  of  grief  that  it  should  not  still 
remain  in  such  good  hands  as  those  of  its 
original  owners." 


1  According  to  the  Memoirs  of  Fleuranges,  Bayard  conferred 
the  honour  of  knighthood  on  Francis  I.  be/ore  the  battle  ;  other 
historians  agree  with  the  Loyal  Servant,  and  say  after. 

2  See  additional  note  at  the  end  of  this  volume. 


3l6    g>potlegg  auto 


Maximilian  Sforza,  who  claimed  to  be  the 
legitimate  Duke  of  Milan  as  his  father's  heir, 
retired  into  the  castle  after  the  defeat  of  the 
Swiss  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  prepara- 
tions for  besieging  it,  he  gave  it  up,  and  left 
it  with  his  men. 

The  king,  enjoying  a  little  more  tranquil- 
lity, went  to  Bologna  to  see  Pope  Leo  X., 
who  gave  him  a  magnificent  reception,  and 
after  a  short  stay  he  returned  to  Milan, 
whence  shortly  afterwards  he  travelled  to 
his  kingdom,  leaving  the  constable,  the 
Duke  of  Bourbon,  as  his  lieutenant-gen- 
eral. 

Francis  I.  entered  his  kingdom  through 
Provence,  where  he  was  met  by  the  queen, 
his  wife,  and  Madame  de  Beaujeu,  his 
mother,  whom  he  had  appointed  regent  be- 
fore he  set  out  for  Italy. 

Just  at  this  time  (the  23d  of  January,  1515) 
died  Ferdinand,  King  of  Arragon,  the  hus- 
band of  the  late  incomparable  Isabella, 
Queen  of  Castille.  They  only  left  one 
daughter,  known  as  Jeanne  la  Folle,  then 
the  widow  of  Philip  le  Beau,  Archduke  of 
Austria,  and  the  mother  of  Charles  V.  and 
Ferdinand  I.,  both  emperors. 

A  short  time  afterwards  died  John  d'Al- 
bret,  King  of  Navarre,  whose  kingdom  Fer- 


317 


dinand  had  usurped,  as  we  have  seen  in  the 
course  of  this  narrative.1 

1  In  his  will  he  ordered  that  his  body  should  be  placed  in  the 
tomb  of  the  royal  house  at  Pampeluna,  although  this  town  be- 
longed to  the  King  of  Spain  ;  not  that  he  imagined  he  should 
be  obeyed,  but  he  did  it  in  order  to  maintain  a  tone  of  sove- 
reignty over  the  town  and  his  usurped  kingdom  of  Navarre. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

THE  emperor,  1516,  jealous  of  the  vic- 
tory that  the  king  had  gained,  and 
which  made  him  master  of  Milan,  assembled 
a  very  large  number  of  lansquenets,  with 
Swiss  from  the  canton  of  Zurich,  and  the 
Grisons,  and  marched  in  person  towards  the 
duchy  of  Milan.  The  constable,  not  having 
sufficient  troops  to  go  and  meet  him,  shut 
himself  up  in  his  town  with  his  army;  but 
having  a  few  days  afterwards  received  a  re- 
inforcement of  8,000  or  10,000  Swiss,  the 
emperor  did  not  give  him  time  to  give  him 
battle,  but  went  away  quicker  than  he  came, 
leaving  a  goodly  number  of  his  soldiers  as 
prisoners  of  war.  He  died  in  the  following 
year,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  grandson, 
Charles  V.,  already  King  of  Spain  in  right 
of  his  mother  Jeanne  la  Folle. 

The  King  of  France  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  himself  father  of  a  dauphin,  born 
in  the  town  of  Amboise  on  the  last  day  of 
February.  The  news  of  the  birth  of  this 


Hife  of  iSamrfc  319 


child  was  received  with  universal  joy.  He 
died  a.  dauphin  in  the  year  1536. 

(1519-1522.)  Francis  I.,  having  no  cause 
of  quarrel  with  the  new  emperor,  was  re- 
maining quiet,  and  enjoying  the  pleasures 
of  the  court,  when  an  unforeseen  event  hap- 
pened to  disturb  peace. 

The  Lord  of  Sedan,  Robert  de  la  Marck, 
of  whom  we  have  spoken  before,  and  who 
was  in  the  service  of  France,  made  inroads 
upon  Charles'  territory,  without  any  appar- 
ent cause  for  such  an  unjust  attempt.  The 
emperor  soon  got  ready  more  troops  than 
were  necessary  to  reduce  so  feeble  an  enemy, 
and  to  make  himself  master  of  the  country. 
His  army  consisted  of  40,000  men,  com- 
manded by  two  brave  generals—  Henry, 
Count  of  Nassau,  and  the  Lord  of  Sicken- 
gen  —  with  no  pieces  of  cannon.  This  army 
overran  the  territories  of  the  Lord  of  Se- 
dan, took  from  him  four  places  —  Floranges, 
Bouillon,  Messancourt,  and  Soignes.  Some 
others  defended  themselves  ;  but  Sedan  and 
Jametz  were  not  besieged,  being  almost  im- 
pregnable. This  expedition  gave  umbrage 
to  the  King  Francis  I. 

He  could  not  calmly  stand  by  and  see  his 
province  of  Champagne  at  the  mercy  of  so 
formidable  an  army,  so  he  sent  his  brother- 


320    gutless  an&  4f  earless 

in-law,  the  Duke  d'Alengon,  with  a  number 
of  cavalry,  to  that  frontier,  and  went  him- 
self to  Rheims. 

The  Imperialists  affected  not  to  give  any 
sign  of  hostility,  paying  strictly  for  all  they 
bought  from  the  French  territories,  and 
their  general,  the  Count  of  Nassau,  keep- 
ing strict  order  there,  being  expressly 
bidden  to  do  so  by  the  emperor,  who 
wished,  he  said,  to  maintain  peace  with  the 
king. 

However,  all  at  once,  and  without  any 
declaration  of  war,  the  Imperialists  laid  siege 
to  Monzon,  of  which  place  the  Lord  of 
Montmort,  grand  equerry  of  Brittany,  was 
governor,  who,  having  only  his  company 
and  some  few  foot-soldiers,  was  not  in  a 
state  to  defend  a  place  surprised,  and  bare 
of  provisions  and  artillery. 

What  was  still  more  unfortunate  for  him 
was  that,  although  he  had  the  courage  to 
defend  it  to  the  last  breath,  his  men  refused 
service,  and  forced  him  to  give  it  up  on  con- 
dition that  their  lives  should  be  saved. 
Some  of  them  wished  to  make  him  appear 
criminal  to  the  king,  as  not  having  done  his 
duty;  but  those  who  understood  the  ways 
of  war  gave  him  justice,  especially  those 
who  knew  that  he  would  rather  have  buried 


fctfe  of  ^agarfc  321 

himself  under  the  ruins  than  such  a  misfor- 
tune should  have  happened. 

This  event  made  the  king  uneasy  for 
Champagne,  and  as  the  town  of  Mezieres 
was  the  nearest  to  Monzon,  he  considered 
that  it  was  also  the  first  to  be  taken  care  of, 
so  much  the  more  because,  if  it  had  been 
taken,  Champagne  was  defenceless.  He  im- 
mediately sent  to  the  Knight  Bayard,  as  the 
man  in  whom  he  placed  most  confidence, 
and  the  one  most  capable  of  defending  the 
place  long  enough  to  put  him  in  a  condition 
to  assemble  an  army,  and  make  head  against 
that  of  the  emperor. 

When  Bayard  arrived  a  council  of  war  was 
held,  at  which  he  assisted.  The  state  of  the 
town  of  Mezieres  was  taken  into  considera- 
tion, the  proximity  of  the  enemy's  army, 
and  the  impossibility  of  providing  troops 
and  furnishing  them  with  provisions  and 
artillery  immediately.  The  result  of  their 
conference  was  that  they  should  burn  M6- 
zieres  and  devastate  the  environs  to  starve 
the  hostile  army.  But  Bayard  was  opposed 
to  such  a  proceeding,  and  said  to  the  king: 
"  Sire,  no  place  is  weak  where  there  are  men 
capable  of  defending  it."  And  he  offered 
to  go  and  do  his  best  with  the  town. 

The  king  gave  him  the  commission,  and 


322         otless  anfc 


sent  orders  to  the  Duke  d'Alencx>n,  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  province,  to  supply  him  with 
all  that  he  wanted  —  men,  artillery,  pro- 
visions, and  ammunition. 

Bayard  had  never  undertaken  a  charge 
which  gave  him  more  pleasure,  nor  a  better 
opportunity  of  serving  his  master  and  ac- 
quiring honour.  He  betook  himself  in  all 
diligence  to  Me'zieres,  with  the  Duke  of 
Lorraine's  company  of  100  men-at-arms, 
whom  he  commanded  as  his  lieutenant,  and 
with  his  chosen  captains,  Charles  Alleman, 
Lord  of  Laval,  and  Peter  Terrail,  Lord  of 
Bernin,  his  cousins;  Antoine  de  Clermont, 
Viscount  Tallard  ;  Francis  de  Sassenage  En- 
nard,  GuifTrey,  Beaumont,  and  others,  all 
from  Dauphiny,  and  the  flower  of  the  no- 
bility, who  all  brought  their  companies  with 
them. 

Anne  of  Montmorency,  then  twenty-eight 
years  old,  and  afterwards  grand  master  and 
constable  of  France,  wished  to  follow  him 
with  his  company  of  men-at-arms,  "  doing 
himself  the  honour,"  as  he  said,  "  of  serving 
under  so  great  and  renowned  a  captain." 
Many  other  gentlemen  imitated  this  good 
example,  and  joined  Bayard  to  learn  the  art 
of  war  from  him  ;  amongst  others  were  Cap- 
tain Boccara,  of  the  house  of  Reffuge,  and 


Hife  of  Bapartr 


the  Lord  of  Montmoreau,  who  each  brought 
him  1,000  foot-soldiers. 

On  his  arrival,  he  found  the  place  not  in 
a  condition  to  sustain  the  siege,  which  was 
expected,  that  day  or  the  next.  His  first 
care  was  to  send  away  across  the  bridge  of 
the  Meuse  all  the  useless  mouths,1  and  to 
destroy  the  bridge  as  soon  as  they  were  out- 
side. After  that  he  assembled  all  the  prin- 
cipal townspeople  and  the  chief  men  of  the 
garrison  he  found  there,  and  made  them 
swear  not  to  talk  of  giving  up  the  place,  but 
to  defend  it  to  the  death.  "  And  if  we  are 
in  want  of  provisions,"  added  he,  laughing, 
"  we  will  eat  our  horses  and  our  boots." 
Then  he  ordered  that  the  parts  that  were 
fortified  should  be  repaired,  and  that  forti- 
fications should  be  made  where  were  none ; 
and  to  give  courage  to  the  workers,  he  was 
the  first  to  put  his  hand  to  the  work,  and 
distributed  more  than  6,000  crowns  of  his 
own  money  amongst  them. 

1  Useless  mouths,  i.e.  men  who  would  eat  but  not  fight. 
Bayard  seems  to  have  taken  the  same  view  of  these  lazy  drones 
in  war  as  Milton  in  the  church — 

Such  as  for  their  bellies'  sake, 

Creep  and  intrude,  and  climb  into  the  fold  ! 
Of  other  care  they  little  reckoning  make, 
Than  how  to  scramble  at  the  shearers'  feast, 
And  shove  away  the  worthy  bidden  guest ! 
Blind  mouths! — LYCIDAS,  1.  114. 


324    S>potles0  auto 


"  Comrades,"  he  said,  "  shall  it  be  said 
that  the  town  was  lost  by  our  faults,  seeing 
what  a  gallant  company  of  brave  men  we 
make  here  together  ?  It  seems  to  me  that 
if  we  were  in  a  meadow,  with  only  a  ditch 
four  feet  wide  before  us,  that  we  could  fight 
a  whole  day  without  being  defeated.  Thank 
God,  we  have  ditches,  walls,  and  a  rampart, 
and  before  our  enemy  plants  his  foot  there  I 
think  many  will  be  sleeping  in  the  ditches." 

In  short,  he  so  encouraged  his  men  that 
all  thought  they  were  quite  invincible,  hav- 
ing him  for  a  leader. 

Two  days  after  his  arrival  the  siege  was 
laid  on  both  sides  the  Meuse,  on  one  side 
by  Captain  Sickengen  with  14,000  or  15,000 
men,  and  on  the  other  side  by  the  Count  of 
Nassau  with  more  than  20,000.  The  next 
day  they  sent  a  herald  to  summon  Bayard 
to  give  the  place  up  to  them.  The  herald, 
being  introduced  into  the  town,  delivered 
his  message,  which  was  to  inform  the  com- 
mander, on  the  part  of  his  masters,  that  it 
was  impossible  to  resist  them  long,  that  they 
esteemed  the  great  and  praiseworthy  chiv- 
alry that  was  in  him,  but  that  it  would  be 
marvellously  annoying  if  they  were  taken 
by  assault,  for  his  honour  would  thereby  be 
lessened,  and  possibly  it  might  cost  him  his 


Etfe  of  tSagarfc  325 

life.  In  fine,  if  he  would  give  himself  up, 
they  would  make  as  good  a  capitulation  as 
he  could  wish.  Bayard,  to  these  proposi- 
tions replied,  smiling:  "  That  he  was  not 
aware  he  had  the  honour  of  being  known  to 
the  Lords  of  Nassau  and  of  Sickengen,  that 
he  thanked  them  for  their  gracious  offers; 
but  that,  as  the  king  had  chosen  him  to 
guard  the  place,  he  would  take  care  of  it  so 
well  that  they  should  be  tired  of  the  siege 
before  he  was,  and  that  so  far  from  thinking 
of  leaving  it,  he  hoped  to  make  a  bridge  of 
dead  bodies  in  the  ditches  over  which  they 
could  pass  out."  The  herald  took  his  leave 
with  this  answer,  and  repeated  it  to  his 
masters  in  the  presence  of  a  French  captain 
named  John  Picard,  who  said  to  them :  "  My 
lords,  I  know  this  Captain  Bayard.  I  have 
served  under  him.  Do  not  expect  to  enter 
this  place  while  he  is  living;  he  is  a  man 
who  gives  heart  to  the  most  cowardly.  I 
assure  you  that  he  and  his  men  would  die  at 
the  breach  before  letting  us  put  foot  inside 
the  town,  and  for  my  part,  I  wish  there 
were  2,000  more  soldiers  in  the  place  rather 
than  this  Bayard." 

"  Captain  Picard,"  answered  the  Count 
of  Nassau,  "  is  this  Bayard  of  bronze  or 
steel  ?  If  he  is  so  brave,  let  him  get  ready 


326         otless  anfc 


to  give  us  an  opportunity  of  seeing  him  ;  for 
in  the  next  four  days  I  will  send  him  so 
many  cannon  shots  that  he  won't  know 
which  way  to  turn." 

"  All  in  good  time,"  said  Picard,  "  but 
you  won't  have  it  all  your  own  way." 

Immediately  upon  that  the  two  generals 
ordered  batteries  of  cannon,  each  one  from 
his  side,  and  were  so  well  obeyed  that  in 
less  than  four  days  they  had  fired  more  than 
5,000  shots  against  the  town.  The  besieged 
answered  very  well,  but  their  artillery  was 
small  in  comparison  with  that  of  their  oppo- 
nents. As  soon  as  the  Lord  of  Montmo- 
reau's  1,000  men  heard  the  first  play  of  these 
batteries  they  fled  in  spite  of  him,  some  by 
the  gate,  and  the  rest  over  the  walls.  When 
this  flight  was  reported  to  Bayard,  his  an- 
swer was:  "So  much  the  better.  I  like 
such  knaves  better  outside  than  in  ;  such 
rabble  were  not  worthy  to  gain  honour  with 
us." 

However,  the  town  was  greatly  inconven- 
ienced by  the  firing  from  Sickengen's  quar- 
ters, for,  as  he  had  placed  himself  on  a  hill, 
he  had  a  great  advantage  over  it.  Bayard, 
who  not  only  was  the  bravest  and  wisest 
man  of  his  age,  but  without  his  equal  for 
expedients,  thought  of  a  very  singular  plan 


of  iSagartr  327 


to  dislodge  Sickengen  from  his  place,  and 
this  expedient  succeeded.  It  was  to  write 
to  the  Lord  Robert  de  la  Marck,  who  was 
at  Sedan,  a  letter,  in  which,  after  he  had  in- 
formed him  that  he  was  besieged  on  both 
sides,  he  added:  "  If  I  remember  rightly, 
you  told  me  a  year  ago  that  you  proposed 
getting  the  Count  of  Nassau  into  the  service 
of  the  king,  our  master,  also  that  he  is  a  re- 
lation of  yours.  I  should  wish  such  a  thing 
to  take  place  as  much  as  you,  because  he 
has  acquired  the  reputation  of  being  very 
gallant.  If  you  think  such  a  change  possi- 
ble, I  advise  you  to  bring  it  about  rather  to- 
day than  to-morrow,  because  before  twenty- 
four  hours  have  passed  he  and  his  camp  will 
be  blown  to  pieces.  I  have  news  that  12,000 
Swiss  and  800  men-at-arms  will  sleep  to- 
night at  three  leagues  from  here,  who  to- 
morrow at  break  of  day  will  fall  upon  him, 
while  on  my  side  I  shall  make  a  vigorous 
onslaught,  and  fortunate  will  be  he  who 
escapes.  I  thought  it  my  duty  to  warn  you 
of  this,  trusting  to  you  to  keep  my  secret." 
When  the  letter  was  written,  Bayard  gave 
it  in  charge  of  a  peasant,  to  whom  he  gave 
a  crown,  saying:  "  Go  and  carry  this  letter 
to  the  Lord  of  La  Marck,  who  is  at  Sedan, 
three  leagues  from  here,  and  give  him  the 


328    g>potiess  antr 


^compliments  of    the  writer,   Captain    Bay- 
ard. '  ' 

The  knight  knew  perfectly  well  that  the 
peasant  would  be  infallibly  arrested  on  the 
way,  as  indeed  he  was,  at  two  bow-shots 
from  the  town,  and  taken  to  Sickengen,  who 
questioned  him.  The  poor  man  thought  his 
last  moment  had  come.  He  was  indeed  in 
great  danger  of  being  hanged.  "  My  lord," 
said  he,  "  the  great  captain  who  is  in  our 
town  has  sent  me  to  take  this  letter  to  the 
Lord  of  Sedan."  And,  taking  it  from  a 
purse,  he  gave  it  up.  * 

Sickengen  opened  it,  and  was  strangely 
astonished  at  what  it  contained,  and  thought 
that  the  Count  of  Nassau,  with  whom  he 
had  had  high  words  a  short  time  before  on 
the  subject  of  the  command,  and  whom  he 
had  refused  to  obey,  wished,  out  of  revenge, 
to  do  him  a  bad  turn.  "  But,"  said  he, 
swearing  a  fearful  oath,  "  I  will  put  a  stop 
to  his  malice."  Then  he  called  for  five  or 
six  of  his  captains,  and  gave  them  the  letter 
to  read.  They  were  as  indignant  as  he, 
thinking,  like  their  general,  that  the  count 
had  put  their  camp  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Meuse  on  purpose  to  sacrifice  them.  Sick- 
engen, without  asking  their  advice,  immedi- 
ately had  drums  beaten  to  headquarters, 


Htfe  of  ISagartr  329 

sounded     for    assembly,     and    made    them 
march  off  and  cross  the  river. 

The  count,  who  heard  the  noise  of  this 
removal  from  his  camp,  sent  a  gentleman  to 
know  what  it  was.  This  messenger  saw  the 
body  of  the  army  in  arms,  and  taking  their 
way  to  the  Meuse.  He  returned  and  told 
what  he  had  seen.  The  count's  surprise 
was  great  indeed,  especially  as  he  knew  that 
to  go  away  was  to  raise  the  siege.  He  sent 
a  second  time  to  beg  Sickengen  not  to  re- 
move the  camp  till  they  had  consulted  to- 
gether, that  if  he  did  so  he  would  be  acting 
contrary  to  his  duty  and  against  the  em- 
peror's service.  Sickengen  coldly  replied  : 
"  Go  and  tell  the  Count  of  Nassau  that  I 
am  not  his  dupe,  that  I  will  not  hold  myself 
ready  to  be  butchered  for  his  sake,  and  that 
if  he  wishes  to  keep  me  from  removing,  we 
will  see,  he  and  I,  to  whom  the  field  will  re- 
main." Nassau,  who  understood  this  an- 
swer still  less  than  the  first,  and  who  thought 
that  Sickengen  was  crossing  the  river  to  at- 
tack him,  got  his  army  ready  for  fight. 
Sickengen  did  the  same  as  soon  as  he  had 
crossed  the  river.  Drums  and  trumpets 
made  a  deafening  noise  from  both  sides,  and 
it  seemed  as  if  the  two  armies  were  about  to 
rush  upon  each  other. 


330         otUss  atrtr 


However,  they  calmed  down,  but  the  two 
generals,  very  much  irritated,  would  neither 
see  each  other  nor  speak  for  eight  days,  and, 
in  consequence,  both  left  their  camps,  and 
went  each  his  own  way.  Sickengen  entered 
Picardy,  and  pushed  his  way  to  Guise,  set- 
ting fire  to  everything  on  his  way. 

In  time  these  generals  were  reconciled, 
but  it  was  years  before  they  discovered  that 
they  had  both  been  equally  duped. 

It  was  a  miracle  that  the  bearer  of  the  let- 
ter escaped  from  the  danger  which  he  had 
run,  but  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  return 
to  Mezieres,  where  he  gave  Bayard  an  ac- 
count of  all  that  had  happened.  He  told 
him  that  he  had  been  arrested,  and  his  let- 
ter taken  from  him,  that  it  had  occasioned 
much  noise  and  confusion,  and  that  finally 
the  enemies  had  soon  decamped. 

Bayard  split  his  sides  with  laughing  at  the 
success  of  his  stratagem,  and  in  the  excess 
of  his  joy  he  said:  "As  they  would  not 
open  fire,  I  will."  And  at  the  same  mo- 
ment he  sent  five  or  six  volleys  of  cannon 
into  them  at  once.  Thus  the  siege  of  M£- 
zieres  was  raised  after  having  lasted  three 
weeks,  during  which  the  besiegers  had  lost 
many  men  without  having  dared  to  give  an 
assault.  When  the  king  heard  of  the  rais- 


Htfe  of  ISagarir  331 

ing  of  the  siege  of  M£zieres,  and  the  artifice 
which  Bayard  had  used,  he  felt  much  joy. 
He  had  only  wished  for  time  to  assemble  an 
army  which  he  could  oppose  to  that  of  the 
emperor;  and  Bayard  had  doubled  his  hopes 
in  procuring  him  this  satisfaction,  and  de- 
livering Champagne  for  him  so  well  that  the 
royal  army  was  already  on  the  frontier  and 
encamped  at  Fervagnes.  The  king  went  to 
join  it,  and  our  hero  also  went  there  to  give 
him  an  account  of  what  he  had  done,  and 
on  the  way  he  retook  Monzon. 


CHAPTER   XXV 

BAYARD  was  received  by  his  prince  with 
many  marks  of  friendship  and  incredi- 
ble praises.  The  king  made  him  a  knight 
of  his  order,  and  gave  him,  by  an  unexam- 
pled distinction,  a  company  of  100  picked 
men-at-arms,  an  honour  which  only  be- 
longed to  princes  of  the  blood.  All  France 
resounded  with  the  praises  of  Bayard,  all 
agreeing  that  without  his  grand  resistance 
at  Me'zieres,  the  army  of  Charles  V.  would 
have  penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the  king- 
dom, still  more  easily  because,  in  his  seem- 
ing security,  on  the  faith  of  the  peace, 
Francis  had  not  soldiers  enough  in  a  fit  con- 
dition to  stop  40,000  men ;  but  he  was  re- 
venged by  following  this  army  into  Valen- 
ciennes, and  if  the  Germans  under  Sickengen 
had  done  much  damage  in  Picardy,  the 
French  rendered  them  double  payment  by 
their  ravages  in  Hainault. 

The  departure  of  Bayard  and  his  troops 
from  the  town  of  M£zieres  must  have  been 
a  touching  sight.  The  inhabitants  accom- 


Hife  of  iSagarfc  333 

panied  them  a  long  way  with  thanks  and 
acclamations  ;  they  called  them  their  de- 
fenders, their  liberators,  and  kissed  the  arms 
and  the  coats  of  the  soldiers.  The  happy 
event  was  celebrated  in  the  town  every  year 
till  the  time  of  the  Revolution  by  a  pom- 
pous fete,  the  chief  part  of  the  ceremony 
being  the  eulogium  of  Bayard. 

As  winter  approached  the  king  went  to 
Paris,  and  Bayard  accompanied  him.  The 
public  praises  were  renewed  on  his  arrival ; 
there  was  daily  a  concourse  of  great  and 
small  to  see  and  congratulate  him.  Finally 
the  French  parliament  put  the  finishing 
stroke  to  our  hero's  glory  by  sending  him 
a  deputation  of  presidents  and  councillors 
to  compliment  him  upon  the  great  service 
that  he  .had  just  rendered  to  the  king  and 
the  whole  kingdom. 

After  making  some  stay  at  Paris,  our 
knight,  without  fear  and  without  reproach, 
went  to  pass  the  winter  at  Grenoble,  where 
it  would  be  superfluous  to  tell  of  the  recep- 
tion that  awaited  him  and  the  fetes  that 
were  made  for  him.  Besides  his  quality  as 
lieutenant-general  of  the  province,  he  be- 
longed to  the  highest  nobility  of  Dauphiny, 
and  this  nobility  felt  it  an  honour  to  partake 
of  the  laurels  with  which  he  was  crowned. 


334        otless  anti 


They  disputed  as  to  who  should  have  him 
in  his  turn,  and  came  from  the  remotest 
parts  of  the  province  to  see  and  admire 
him. 

In  the  following  spring,  the  king  being  at 
Compiegne,  received  news  that  the  Genoese 
were  about  to  rise,  and  that  it  would  be  as 
well  to  send  a  wise  and  prudent  officer  to 
them  to  keep  them  to  their  duty.  Francis  I. 
was  not  long  in  deciding.  He  sent  at  once 
to  Bayard,  whose  wish  to  be  useful,  and  at- 
tachment to  his  masters,  he  knew.  When 
he  had  arrived,  he  gave  him  his  commission 
and  his  orders,  and  finished  in  these  words: 
'"I  beg  you  all  in  my  power  to  undertake 
this  expedition  for  love  of  me,  having  great 
faith  in  your  presence." 

Bayard,  without  delay,  took  the  road  to 
Grenoble,  and  immediately  went  thence  to 
Genoa,  where,  during  his  stay,  not  only  was 
everything  quiet,  but  he  made  himself  es- 
teemed and  respected  by  all,  government, 
nobility,  and  common  people. 

He  had  brought  with  him  his  company  of 
100  men-at-arms,  and  500  foot-soldiers,  and 
he  was  accompanied  by  a  number  of  gentle- 
men of  the  province,  amongst  others  by 
Charles  Alleman,  by  Balthazar  de  Beau- 
mont, and  the  Lord  of  Romaneche.  Hav- 


Hife  of  ISagartf  335 

ing  passed  some  time  at  Genoa,  he  went  to 
join  the  Marshal  of  Foix,  and  the  Lord 
Don  Pedro  of  Navarre,  of  whom  we  have 
already  spoken,  and  who  had  passed  from 
the  service  of  Spain  to  that  of  the  king. 
They  betook  themselves  together  to  the 
French  army  before  Milan,  under  the  or- 
ders of  the  famous  Lautrec,  also  Marshal  of 
France. 

This  campaign  was  not  fortunate,  for  the 
Swiss  having  been  driven  back  at  the  first 
attack  in  the  battle  of  Bicoque,  refused  to 
return  to  the  charge,  and,  a  few  days  after, 
went  back  to  their  own  country,  which  was 
the  reason  that  the  rest  of  the  troops  were 
put  in  garrison. 

Bayard  returned  to  the  frontier  of  the 
Marquisate  of  Saluces,  with  his  company 
and  2,000  foot-soldiers,  commanded  by  two 
lords  of  Dauphiny,  Herculeys  and  Vatilien, 
and  there  they  waited  till  the  enemy's  troops 
were  also  garrisoned.  Then  he  recrossed 
the  mountains,  and  went  to  Grenoble,  where 
he  found  that  the  plague  had  broken  out. 
He  had  occasion  to  exercise  his  two  favour- 
ite virtues,  watchfulness  and  charity.  He 
provided  for  all,  nourished,  at  his  expense, 
the  poor  sick  people,  or  those  suspected  of 
being  ill,  and  assisted  them  with  doctors, 


336    gutless  antr 


surgeons,  and  medicine.  He  extended  his 
cares  and  benefits  to  the  monasteries  and 
convents.  In  short,  Bayard  was,  no  doubt, 
the  cause  of  the  speedy  cessation  of  this 
horrible  scourge. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

IN  the  following  year  (1523)  the  king,  who 
had  determined  to  regain  his  duchy  of 
Milan,  resolved  to  go  there  and  command 
an  army  in  person  ;  but  the  flight  of  Charles, 
Duke  of  Bourbon,  Constable  of  France,  who 
had  embraced  the  emperor's  cause,  obliged 
him  to  change  his  plans,  and  he  sent  Wil- 
liam Gouffier,  Lord  of  Bonivet,  Admiral  of 
France,  one  of  his  favourites,  to  command 
in  his  place.  Under  him  were  many  officers, 
and  especially  Bayard,  whom  he  had  no  wish 
to  forget. 

Whilst  the  admiral  laid  siege  to  Milan, 
the  knight  marched  towards  Lodi  with  8,000 
foot-soldiers,  400  men-at-arms,  and  eight 
pieces  of  cannon.  His  plan  was  to  surprise 
the  Duke  of  Mantua,  Frederic  de  Gonzagua, 
who  had  taken  possession  of  it.  But  this 
prince  did  not  wait  for  him — the  name  of 
Bayard,  and  the  knowledge  that  he  was  not 
far  off,  was  enough  for  him.  He  left  the 
town  with  great  precipitation  by  the  oppo- 
site gate. 

22 


338    gutless  an*  jf  earless 

Bayard  entered  Lodi  without  difficulty, 
put  a  garrison  there,  and  immediately  went 
to  Cremona,  which  he  besieged  and  cannon- 
aded under  the  eyes  of  the  papal  and  Vene- 
tian troops,  who  dared  not  oppose  it;  and 
he  would  have  made  himself  master  of  it  if 
it  had  not  been  for  the  continual  rain  and 
storms,  which  lasted  four  or  five  days  with- 
out interruption,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to 
retire,  not  only  because  he  was  surrounded 
by  the  enemy,  but  because  he  feared  pro- 
visions would  fail;  but  little  as  he  had,  he 
supplied  the  garrison  of  the  castle,  which 
was  on  the  king's  side,  both  with  men  and 
provisions. 

At  the  commencement  of  this  year  (1524), 
the  king's  army  before  Milan  became  weaker 
daily,  while  that  of  the  emperor  got  stronger. 
The  Admiral  Bonivet  came  to  establish  his 
quarters  in  a  little  town  named  Biagras,  and 
ordered  Bayard  to  advance  to  a  small  village 
quite  close  to  Milan,  named  Rebec,  which 
had  neither  walls,  nor  ditches,  nor  barri- 
cades, and  which  was  close  to  the  camp  of 
the  enemy.  He  gave  him  200  men-at-arms, 
and  the  2,000  men  of  the  Lord  of  Lorges,  to 
keep  those  in  the  town  on  the  alert,  to  cut 
off  their  provisions,  and  learn  their  news. 
Bayard,  who  during  the  whole  of  his  life 


Hiie  of  iSagatU  339 

had  only  sought  for  occasions  to  serve  the 
king,  was  too  wide-awake  not  to  perceive 
the  evident  danger  of  the  commission.  He 
explained  himself  clearly  enough  to  the  gen- 
eral, showed  him  that  the  place  was  not  ten- 
able, and  that  the  half  of  the  army  was  not 
sufficient  to  guard  it,  and  that,  having  noth- 
ing but  shame  to  gain  there,  he  begged  him 
to  reflect  before  sending  him.  But  Bonivet, 
to  quiet  him,  promised  to  send  him  some 
foot-soldiers  to  help  him,  assuring  him  that 
not  a  mouse  could  leave  Milan  that  his  spies 
did  not  inform  him  of  it.  Finally,  whether 
by  Bonivet's  fair  words,  or  his  authority,  he 
betook  himself  with  his  men  to  this  miser- 
able village  of  Rebec,  where  not  only  was 
there  no  fortification,  but  it  was  impossible 
to  make  any,  excepting  some  barriers  at  the 
entrances. 

When  Bayard  had  arrived  there,  and  saw 
for  himself  the  danger  of  the  post  he  occu- 
pied, he  wrote  letter  after  letter,  asking  for 
the  reinforcement  that  the  admiral  had 
promised  him,  and  which  he  never  sent. 
Then  he  no  longer  doubted  that  this  gen- 
eral had  sent  him  there  to  perish,  through 
jealousy  or  some  other  motive,  for  which  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  challenge  him  to  mor- 
tal combat  sooner  or  later. 


340    gpotlcss  anfc 


The  Spanish  general,  Don  Ferdinand 
Francis  d'Avalos,  Marquis  of  Pescara,  had 
a  soldier  named  Lupon,  of  remarkable 
strength,  and  swiftness  in  running,  who  un- 
dertook to  give  him  certain  news  of  the  state 
of  the  French  at  Rebec.  This  soldier,  ac- 
companied by  a  single  arquebusier,  went, 
unnoticed,  to  a  French  sentinel  ;  he  took  the 
man  round  the  waist,  put  him  on  his  shoul- 
ders, and  returned  as  swiftly  as  if  he  had 
had  nothing  to  carry.  They  discharged 
some  arquebuses  at  him,  but  his  comrade 
prevented  his  being  followed.  Lupon  took 
the  Frenchman  to  the  Marquis  of  Pescara, 
and  stood  him  on  his  feet,  so  frightened 
that  he  was  not  able  to  speak.  He  was  a 
man  very  much  given  to  swearing;  he  gave 
himself  to  the  devil  a  hundred  times  a  day, 
and  he  thought  now  that  the  devil  had  taken 
him  at  his  word,  and  come  to  fetch  him 
away  in  good  earnest. 

At  last,  when  he  had  recovered  from  his 
fright,  with  much  time  and  trouble,  he  in- 
formed the  marquis  of  Bayard's  position, 
and  of  the  number  of  his  men.  Upon  this 
intelligence  the  marquis  determined  to  sur- 
prise the  French  the  next  night,  and  take 
our  hero  dead  or  alive. 

He  put  in  the  fields,  between  twelve  and 


Eife  of  iSagarir  341 

one  in  the  night,  7,000  foot-soldiers  and 
1,500  men-at-arms,  guided  by  the  men  of 
the  village,  who  knew  all  the  avenues.  Bay- 
ard,- who  could  not  be  easy  at  such  a  dan- 
gerous post,  had  watch  kept  in  the  night  by 
half  his  men,  he  himself  having  passed  three 
nights  without  sleeping.  He  fell  ill  with 
cold  and  fatigue  and  uneasiness  of  mind, 
and  was  so  unwell  that  he  was  obliged  to 
keep  his  room.  He  ordered  some  of  his 
captains  to  keep  watch  and  relieve  each 
other,  but  they  did  nothing  of  the  kind,  and 
went  to  bed,  only  leaving  three  or  four  mis- 
erable archers  on  guard.  The  Spanish,  who, 
for  the  sake  of  recognizing  each  other,  all 
wore  shirts  outside  their  coats,  approached 
the  town,  astonished  at  not  meeting  any 
one.  Their  first  idea  was  that  Bayard,  in- 
formed of  their  plan,  had  retired  to  Biagras ; 
but  having  gone  about  a  hundred  steps 
further  on,  they  found  the  archers  keep- 
ing watch,  who  immediately  fled,  crying, 
"  Alarm !  alarm !  "  The  Spaniards  followed 
them,  and  were  at  the  barriers  as  soon  as 
they.  Bayard,  who  was  fully  sensible  of 
the  danger  he  was  in,  was  sleeping  fully 
dressed.  He  was  soon  astir  and  on  horse- 
back, and  came  to  the  barrier  where  the 
alarm  was,  accompanied  by  five  or  six  of  his 


342  tless  antr 


men-at-arms.  A  moment  after,  Captain  de 
Lorges  came  to  his  assistance  with  his  troop 
of  foot-soldiers,  who  did  wonders. 

During  the  attack  the  Spaniards  were  run- 
ning all  over  the  village  to  find  Bayard's 
lodging,  for  they  only  wanted  to  obtain  pos- 
session of  his  person,  and  if  they  had  been 
able  to  take  him  they  would  have  returned 
as  satisfied  as  if  they  had  gained  a  complete 
victory.  All  the  while  they  were  looking 
for  him  he  was  defending  the  barrier,  and 
from  there  he  heard  the  noise  of  the  drum, 
and  judged  of  the  number  of  the  enemy's 
foot-soldiers.  He  resolved  to  retire  as  best 
he  could,  and  said  to  the  Captain  de  Lorges: 

"  My  companion  and  friend,  our  numbers 
are  so  unequal  that  if  they  pass  the  barriers 
we  are  all  lost.  Let  us  leave  them  our 
equipments,  and  save  the  men.  Draw  your 
men  off,  and  march  as  close  as  you  can,  and 
I  with  my  men-at-arms  will  form  the  rear- 
guard." 

All  that  was  well  and  successfully  exe- 
cuted, with  a  loss  of  only  nine  or  ten  men, 
and  about  150  horses,  which  were  left  to  the 
enemy,  with  some  grooms. 

When  the  barrier  was  forced,  the  Span- 
iards searched  all  the  houses,  expecting  to 
find  the  man  they  were  in  search  of  there: 


Hife  of  iSagarir 


but  Bayard  was  already  at  Biagras,  where 
he  had  high  words  with  the  admiral,  and  if 
he  had  lived,  he  would  certainly  have  taken 
sword  in  hand  against  him. 

A  little  after  this  check  the  admiral,  who 
had  not  sufficient  forces  to  resist  those  of 
the  emperor,  and  who,  on  the  contrary,  saw 
his  army  decreasing  every  day  by  illness, 
assembled  a  council  of  war,  of  which  the  re- 
sult was  that  there  was  nothing  to  do  in  the 
position  in  which  they  found  themselves  but 
to  retire.  They  settled  the  order  of  the  re- 
treat, following  which,  the  admiral  and  Bay- 
ard kept  in  the  rear-guard,  and  so  intimi- 
dated their  enemies  that  they  dared  not 
approach,  but  saluted  them  from  a  distance, 
by  discharging  muskets,  arquebuses,  and 
small  guns  at  them. 

The  next  day  the  French  continued  to  re- 
treat, and  their  enemies  to  follow  them. 
These  last  had  placed  upon  the  two  borders 
of  the  road  a  number  of  arquebusiers,  by 
means  of  which  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing they  made  a  furious  charge,  in  which  the 
Lord  of  Vandenesse  was  wounded.  He  died 
of  his  wound  shortly  afterwards,  regretted 
by  the  whole  army.  The  admiral  received 
a  wound  in  the  arm,  and  was  obliged  to  be 
placed  in  a  litter  and  taken  away,  leaving 


344    Spotless  anfc  jf  earless 

the  whole  command  to  Bayard,  to  whom  he 
said: 

"  I  pray  and  conjure  you,  for  the  honour 
and  glory  of  the  French  name,  to  defend  the 
artillery  and  the  flags  to-day.  I  consign 
them  entirely  to  your  fidelity,  valour,  and 
wise  conduct,  as  there  is  none  more  capable 
of  the  task  than  you  in  the  whole  of  the 
king's  army,  whether  for  bravery,  experi- 
ence, or  counsel." 

At  which  Bayard,  much  annoyed,  replied 
that  he  should  have  wished  for  this  honour 
on  a  more  favourable  and  less  dangerous  oc- 
casion. "  But,"  added  he,  "  however  that 
may  be,  I  assure  you  that  I  will  defend 
them  so  well  that  as  long  as  I  live  they  shall 
never  come  into  the  enemy's  power." 

Indeed,  for  two  hours  he  made  so  many 
vigorous  charges  on  the  Spaniards,  that  he 
obliged  them  to  rejoin  the  body  of  their 
army,  and  then  he  returned  with  his  men- 
at-arms  with  as  calm  an  air  and  as  composed 
a  step  as  if  he  had  been  walking  in  a  garden. 

The  artillery  and  the  flags  were  thrown 
forward,  and  in  safety,  when  at  about  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  an  arquebus  was 
fired,  the  stone  of  which  struck  Bayard 
across  the  loins,  and  completely  fractured 
his  spine.  When  he  felt  the  blow,  his  first 


Hit*  of  iSagarfc          345 

cry  was,  "Jesus!"  Then  he  added,  "O 
God!  I  am  slain!"  Then  he  kissed  the 
cross-hilt  of  his  sword,  using  it  as  a  cruci- 
fix.1 He  changed  colour,  and  his  men,  see- 
ing him  stagger,  went  to  him  and  wished  to 
withdraw  him  from  the  fray.  His  friend 
D'Alegre  pressed  him  to  allow  them  to  do 
so,  but  he  would  not.  "It  is  all  over,"  he 
said  to  them.  "  I  am  a  dead  man,  and  do 
not  wish  in  my  last  moments  to  turn  my 
back  to  the  enemy  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life."  He  had  still  strength  enough  left  to 
order  them  to  charge,  seeing  that  the  Span- 
iards were  beginning  to  advance.  Then  he 
was  placed  by  some  Swiss  at  the  foot  of  a 
tree,  "  so  that,"  said  he,  "  I  may  have  my 
face  towards  the  enemy."  His  steward, 
who  was  a  gentleman  of  Dauphiny,  named 
Jacques  Jeoffre  of  Milieu,  was  bathed  in 
tears  at  his  side,  as  well  as  his  other  ser- 
vants. 

Bayard  consoled  them  himself.     "  It  is, " 
said  he,  "  God's  will  to  take  me  to  Himself. 

1  The  Loyal  Servant  adds  that  Bayard  exclaimed  :  "  Miserere 
met,  Deus,  secundum  magnam  miser -icordiam  tuam."  "  Have 
pity  on  me,  O  God,  according  to  Thy  great  mercy."  Then 
he  waxed  quite  pale,  as  one  swooning,  and  nearly  fell,  but  had 
still  strength  enough  to  grasp  the  saddle  bow,  and  remained 
in  this  posture  till  a  young  gentleman,  his  steward,  helped  him 
to  dismount,  and  placed  him  under  a  tree. 


346    g>potlesg  antr 


He  has  kept  me  in  this  world  long  enough, 
and  shown  me  more  goodness  and  favour 
than  I  have  deserved."  Then,  there  being 
no  priest,  he  confessed  to  his  gentleman, 
whom  he  begged  to  leave  him  where  he  was, 
because  he  could  not  be  moved  without  feel- 
ing acute  pain.  The  Lord  d'Alegre,  Provost 
of  Paris,  asked  for  and  received  his  last 
wishes;  and  a  Swiss  captain  named  John 
Diesbac  offered  to  remove  him,  for  fear  that 
he  should  fall  into  the  enemy's  power,  but 
he  replied  to  him  and  all  the  officers  who 
surrounded  him:  "  Let  me  devote  the  short 
time  that  remains  to  me  to  thinking  of  my 
conscience.  I  beg  you  all  to  leave  me,  for 
fear  that  you  should  be  made  prisoners; 
and  that  would  be  another  grief  for  me.  I 
am  dying;  you  cannot  relieve  me  in  any 
way.  All  I  ask  of  you,  Lord  d'Alegre,  is 
to  assure  the  king  that  I  die  his  servant 
without  any  regret  but  my  inability  to  ren- 
der him  further  services.  Give  my  respects 
to  my  lords  the  princes  of  France,  and  to 
all  the  gentlemen  and  captains.  And  now, 
good-bye,  my  good  friends.  I  commend  to 
you  the  care  of  my  soul." 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

AT  that  moment  the  Marquis  of  Pescara ' 
arrived  near  him,  and  with  tears  in 
his  eyes  said  to  him  :  "  Would  to  God,  Lord 
Bayard,  that  I  might  have  given  all  the 
blood  I  could  lose  without  dying,  to  have 
taken  you  prisoner  in  good  health !  You 
shall  know  how  much  I  have  always  es- 
teemed your  person,  your  bravery,  and  all 
the  virtues  that  you  possess,  and  that  since 
I  have  held  arms  I  have  never  known  your 
like." 

The  Lord  of  Pescara  had  his  own  tent 
and  bed  brought  immediately,  had  it  spread 
close  by  the  dying  man,  and  himself  helped 
him  to  lie  upon  it,  kissing  his  hands  the 
while.  He  gave  him  a  guard,  so  that  he 
should  be  neither  crowded  nor  pressed  upon, 

1  The  Loyal  Servant  says  that  Pescara  quoted  a  Spanish 
proverb  in  reference  to  the  bravery  of  the  knight,  "  The  tribute 
of  praise  that  my  nation  paid  you  when  they  said,  '  Micchos 
Grisones y pocos  Bayardos '  (many  grey  horses,  but  few  Bayards, 
or  bay  ones),  was  not  undeservedly  bestowed."  He  adds  that 
there  were  not  six  persons  in  the  whole  Spanish  camp  who  did 
not  come  to  see  the  celebrated  knight. 


348      >0tiess  antr 


nor  annoyed  in  any  way,  and  himself  brought 
a  priest,  to  whom  Bayard  confessed  with 
perfect  consciousness  and  edifying  piety. 

"  Oh,  generous  marquis,  worthy  of  eter- 
nal memory!  Posterity  shall  speak  of  you 
as  long  as  the  name  of  Bayard  exists,  and 
declare  the  bravery  and  virtue  that  rule  over 
great  hearts,  even  when  they  are  in  the 
bosoms  of  our  enemies." 

All  the  Spanish  army  hastened,  both  small 
and  great,  to  come  and  admire  the  expiring 
hero.  The  Constable  of  Bourbon,  who,  as 
we  have  said,  had  passed  into  the  emperor's 
service,  came  like  the  rest,  and  said  to  him  : 

"  Ah,  Captain  Bayard,  how  troubled  I  am 
to  see  you  in  this  state!  I  have  always 
loved  and  honoured  you  for  the  great  prow- 
ess and  wisdom  which  is  in  you.  Ah,  how 
much  I  pity  you  !  " 

Bayard  rallied  his  strength,  and  said  to 
him  in  a  steady  voice  : 

"  My  lord,  I  thank  you  ;  I  don't  pity  my- 
self. I  die  like  an  honest  man.  I  die  serv- 
ing my  king.  You  are  the  man  to  be  pitied 
for  bearing  arms  against  your  prince,  your 
country,  and  your  oath." 

The  constable  remained  some  time  with 
him,  and  spoke  of  his  reasons  for  leaving 
the  kingdom  ;  but  Bayard  exhorted  him  to 


Hit*  of  ISagarlr          349 

return  to  the  king,  for  that  otherwise  he 
would  remain  without  possessions  and  hon- 
our all  his  life. 

Bayard,  left  alone,  thought  only  of  his  ap- 
proaching death;  he  recited  devotedly  the 
"  Miserere,"  after  which  he  prayed  aloud  as 
follows : 

"  My  God,  who  hast  promised  a  refuge  in 
Thy  mercy  to  the  greatest  sinners  who  re- 
turn to  Thee  sincerely  and  with  their  whole 
hearts,  I  put  all  my  confidence  in  Thee  and 
all  my  hope  in  Thy  promises.  Thou  art 
my  God,  my  Creator,  my  Redeemer.  I 
confess  I  have  mortally  offended  Thee  and 
that  a  thousand  years'  fasting  on  bread  and 
water  in  the  desert  would  not  atone  for  my 
faults;  but,  my  God,  Thou  knowest  that  I 
had  resolved  to  be  penitent  if  Thou  hadst 
preserved  my  life.  I  acknowledge  all  my 
weakness — that  by  myself  I  should  never 
have  been  able  to  merit  an  entrance  into 
Thy  paradise,  and  that  no  creature  can  ob- 
tain such  joy  but  through  Thy  infinite 
mercy.  .  .  .  My  God!  my  Father!  for- 
get my  faults;  only  listen  to  Thine  own 
mercy.  .  .  .  Let  Thy  justice  be  softened  by 
the  merits  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ " 

Death  interrupted  his  words.  His  first 
cry  when  he  felt  himself  mortally  wounded 


350        otless  auto 


was  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  it  was  while  in- 
voking this  adorable  name  that  our  hero 
gave  up  his  soul  to  his  Creator,  on  the  3Oth 
of  April,  1524,  aged  forty-eight  years. 

The  Spaniards  showed  as  sincere  a  regret 
at  his  death  as  the  whole  of  France  showed. 
As  soon  as  he  was  dead,  the  guard  that  the 
Marquis  of  Pescara  had  given  him  bore  him, 
according  to  that  nobleman's  orders,  into 
the  nearest  church,  where  services  were  said 
over  him  for  two  days,  after  which  they 
gave  the  body  to  his  gentleman  and  his 
servants,  with  passports,  to  transport  it  to 
France. 

When  the  king  heard  of  the  death  of  Bay- 
ard he  was  sorely  afflicted  for  many  days, 
and  paid  this  tribute  to  him.  '  We  have 
lost,  '  '  said  he,  '  '  a  great  captain,  whose  name 
alone  made  his  arms  feared  and  honoured. 
Truly,  he  deserved  more  benefits  and  higher 
charges  than  those  he  had."  But  he  felt 
the  loss  he  had  sustained  much  more  acutely 
in  the  month  of  February  following,  when, 
after  the  battle  of  Pavia,  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner by  the  emperor,  and  led  into  Spain. 
"  If  the  Knight  Bayard,"  he  said  to  the 
Lord  of  Montchenu,  who  followed  him  into 
his  prison  in  Spain,  "  if  the  Knight  Bayard, 
who  was  valiant  and  experienced,  had  been 


Hife  of  BaijartJ  351 

alive  and  near  me,  my  affairs  no  doubt  would 
have  been  in  better  order.  I  should  have 
taken  and  believed  in  his  advice;  I  should 
not  have  separated  my  army,  and  I  should 
not  have  left  my  entrenchment,  and  then 
his  presence  would  have  been  worth  a  hun- 
dred captains  to  me,  he  had  gained  so  much 
fear  from  our  enemies.  Ah,  Knight  Bayard, 
how  I  miss  you !  I  should  not  be  here  if 
you  were  alive." 

The  body  of  our  hero  was  taken  to  France 
into  the  province  of  his  birth,  to  be  placed 
there,  according  to  his  last  wishes,  near  his 
ancestors,  in  the  church  of  Creinon.  The 
procession  passed  through  Piedmont  and 
Savoy;  and  everywhere  the  Duke  of  Savoy 
gave  orders  that  it  should  be  received  with 
the  same  honours  that  they  would  have  paid 
to  a  prince  of  the  blood,  that  services  should 
be  performed  for  him  in  all  the  churches  on 
the  road,  and  that  his  body  should  rest  there 
at  night. 

When  he  arrived  in  Dauphiny,  the  Court 
of  Parliament,  the  Chamber  of  Exchequer, 
with  the  nobility  and  peasantry  of  Grenoble, 
went  before  the  funeral  to  within  half  a 
league  of  the  town,  and  conducted  it  into 
the  cathedral  church,  where  the  next  day 
they  assisted  at  a  special  service,  "  non  du- 


352    j$potlesg  anlr  fearless 

cali  modo,  sed  regio  apparatu,"  not  in  a  du- 
cal, but  even  in  a  kingly  manner.  After- 
wards the  body  was  taken  not  to  Creinon, 
as  he  had  ordered,  but  to  half  a  league  from 
the  town  to  a  convent  founded  by  his  uncle, 
Laurent  Alleman,  Bishop  of  Grenoble,  and 
he  was  accompanied  by  the  same  procession 
that  honoured  his  arrival.  There  he  rests 
under  a  large  stone  at  the  foot  of  the  steps 
of  the  chancel ;  and  on  the  right-hand  side, 
above  a  door  of  entrance  to  the  monastery, 
is  his  bust  in  white  marble,  wearing  the  col- 
lar of  his  order,  and  on  a  white  marble  slab 
beneath  there  is  a  Latin  epitaph,  which  the 
reader  will  find  at  the  end  of  this  volume. 

All  writers,  whether  while  Bayard  was 
living  or  since  his  death — French,  German, 
Spanish,  Italian,  or  those  of  other  nations — 
have  agreed,  without  a  single  exception,  to 
praise  him  for  all  the  virtues  that  can  adorn 
humanity,  and  which  were  all  assembled  in 
him — piety,  charity,  modesty,  generosity, 
valour,  greatness  of  mind  in  danger,  good- 
ness in  victory,  disinterestedness,  the  talent 
of  obeying  and  commanding;  also,  justice 
in  his  advice,  fertility  in  expedients,  fidelity 
to  his  king,  his  country,  and  his  duty:  he 
had  all  these,  and  his  virtues  cannot  be  bet- 
ter expressed  than  by  the  surname  which  his 


Htfe  of  ISagarto  353 

own  age  decreed  to  him,  of  the  "  knight 
without  fear  and  without  reproach." 

We  cannot  refuse  ourselves  the  gratifica- 
tion of  analysing  closely  the  eulogium  which 
ends  the  supplement  of  the  President  d'Ex- 
pilly. 

Bayard  was  born  with  all  the  virtues  and 
without  any  vice.  He  loved  and  feared 
God,  always  had  recourse  to  Him  in  his 
troubles,  and  prayed  to  Him  assiduously 
night  and  morning,  always  wishing  to  be 
alone  at  such  times.  He  never  refused  to 
assist  his  neighbour,  whether  by  service  or 
money ;  and  this  he  always  did  secretly  and 
kindly.  The  poor  nobles  especially  never 
had  a  refusal  from  him,  whatever  they  asked 
of  him.  It  has  been  reckoned  that  he  mar- 
ried during  his  life  more  than  a  hundred 
poor  orphan  girls,  gentle  and  simple.  Wid- 
ows were  certain  to  obtain  help  and  conso- 
lation from  him.  In  war  he  remounted  one 
man-at-arms  and  gave  his  clothes  to  another, 
and  helped  to  pay  the  debts  of  a  third,  and 
yet  he  persuaded  them  that  it  was  he  who 
owed  gratitude  to  them.  He  had  profitable 
and  numerous  opportunities  of  obtaining 
money  by  ransoms  and  other  means;  but  he 
distributed  all  and  kept  none  for  himself. 
He  never  left  a  lodging  in  a  conquered  coun- 
23 


354    Spotless  anfc  jfearlcss 

try  without  paying  for  what  his  men  had 
taken,  and  when  he  found  himself  in  com- 
pany with  certain  nations  whose  custom  it 
was  to  set  fire  to  the  places  they  left,  he 
always  stayed  until  last  to  preserve  them 
from  burning.  He  was  a  sworn  enemy  of 
flatterers  and  flattery;  however  great  the 
man  he  was  conversing  with  he  never  spoke 
anything  but  the  truth  to  him.  Slander  was 
odious  to  him ;  he  never  condescended  to 
take  any  part  in  it,  but  reproved  it  as  much 
as  it  behooved  him  to  do. 

Bayard  despised  riches  all  his  life,  and  had 
little  esteem  for  the  rich  if  they  were  not 
good  also.  He  hated  equally  the  hypocrite 
and  the  boaster,  and  punished  with  severity 
those  who  left  their  flags  for  the  sake  of 
plunder.  To  show  his  bravery,  his  wisdom 
in  council,  his  prudence  in  action,  we  can- 
not do  better  than  refer  to  what  has  been 
already  written  in  these  pages.  He  had 
passed  his  apprenticeship  to  arms  under  the 
celebrated  Captain  Louis  d'Ars;  so  he  all 
his  life  paid  him  as  much  respect  and  obe- 
dience as  if  he  had  been  still  his  master. 
Finally,  we  must  conclude  our  eulogium  by 
saying  that  Bayard  was  not  one  of  those 
who  commenced  well  and  slackened  as  they 
proceeded,  nor  of  the  men  who  terminate 


Hife  of  Uaijartr  355 

their  career  more  honourably  than  they  have 
commenced  it.  His  virtues  appeared  in 
childhood ;  they  were  developed  as  he  grew 
older;  honours  did  not  alter  them,  and  they 
have  been  crowned  by  a  glorious  death  and 
a  renown  that  the  remotest  posterity  will 
always  respect. 

Bayard  was  never  actually  married;  but 
he  had  contracted  verbally  and  by  letter  an 
engagement  with  a  beautiful  and  noble 
young  lady  of  the  house  of  Treque,  in  the 
duchy  of  Milan,  by  whom  he  had  a  natural 
daughter,  named  Jane  Terrail,  a  daughter 
worthy  of  the  most  virtuous  of  fathers. 

Bayard  was  tall,  upright,  and  not  too 
stout ;  his  face  was  fair,  with  a  fresh  colour, 
and  his  eyes  were  black  and  full  of  fire.  He 
was  extremely  merry,  always  even-tem- 
pered, and  his  conversation,  even  on  the 
most  serious  occasions,  was  spiced  by  witty 
remarks. 

He  hated  the  use  of  arquebuses,  as  if  he 
had  foreseen  that  he  was  doomed  to  die  by 
one.  "  It  is  a  shame,"  he  would  say,  "  that 
a  brave  man  should  be  exposed  to  perish  by 
a  miserable  rascal  from  which  one  cannot 
defend  one's  self."  It  was  doubtless  for  this 
reason  that  he  seldom  gave  quarter  to  those 
who  fell  into  his  hands  using  that  weapon. 


In  short,  if  his  death  exactly  verified  the 
horoscope  of  the  astrologer  of  Carpi,  who 
had  foretold,  in  1512,  that  he  had  twelve 
more  years  to  live,  the  rest  of  the  prediction 
was  not  less  true.  '  You  will  be  rich  in 
honour  and  virtue.  .  .  .  You  will  not  have 
many  of  fortune's  goods.  .  .  .  Your  king 
will  love  and  esteem  you ;  but  the  envious 
will  prevent  his  bestowing  riches  upon  you 
and  promoting  you  to  the  honours  that  you 
have  deserved." 

He  was  not  born  rich,  and  only  increased 
his  property  by  the  acquisition  which  he 
made  of  the  king's  domain,  an  honorary 
right.  This  was  a  portion  of  the  territory 
of  Avalon  that  he  bought  for  ,£4,000  to  pro- 
vide his  lordship  of  Bayard  with  a  jurisdic- 
tion ;  but  with  this  increase,  all  that  he  left 
at  his  death  was  not  worth  more  than  .£400 
annually,  an  admirable  example  of  disinter- 
estedness in  a  man  who  had  been  nine  years 
lieutenant-general  for  the  king  in  a  large 
province,  and  who  had  handled  immense 
sums  of  ransom  money.  But  he  often  said : 
'  What  the  gauntlet  gains  the  gorget 
spends." 

The  President  of  Expilly  says  that  the 
head  of  the  Carthusian  friars  gave  orders 
that  an  anniversary  in  perpetuity  should  be 


Hife  of  ISagarfc  357 

held  throughout  the  whole  of  the  order  to 
pray  for  the  repose  of  Bayard's  soul;  but 
the  order  must  have  been  annulled,  for  it 
was  never  executed.  I  have  seen  (says  M. 
de  Berville)  the  rituals  of  the  Carthusian 
friars  in  several  of  their  houses,  and  no  men- 
tion is  made  of  such  a  command ;  so  the 
writer  must  have  been  uncertain  of  his  an- 
ecdote, or  the  order  of  the  chief  of  the  Car- 
thusians must  have  been  revoked. 


Lansquenet, 

LANSQUENET  was  a  common  German  foot-soldier. 
The  word  is  derived  either  from  lanze,  lance,  or 
from  land,  land  ;  and  knichte,  knight. 

Bayard's  Ancestry. 

Aymond  du  Terrail,  father  of  the  chevalier,  was 
noted  for  his  great  stature  and  strength.  He  received 
four  wounds,  and  lost  an  arm,  in  the  battle  ofGuigne- 
garte,  in  Picardy,  between  Louis  XI.  and  the 
Archduke  of  Austria,  in  1479.  Pierre  du  Terrail, 
grandfather  of  the  good  knight,  whom  he  so  much 
resembled,  was  renowned  for  his  feats  of  arms,  and 
was  surnamed  "the  sword  of  Terrail,"  I'epee  Ter~ 
rail.  He  was  killed  in  battle  at  MontlheYy  in  1465. 
Bayard's  great-grandfather  was,  when  aged  sixty, 
killed  at  Agincourt,  fighting  against  the  English. 
It  is  evident  that  the  Terrails  were  not  people  accus- 
tomed to  die  in  their  beds. 

His  great-great-grandfather,  Pierre  du  Terrail, 
distinguished  himself  in  various  battles  against  the 
Flemish  and  English,  and  in  1356  fell  by  the  side 
of  the  French  King  John,  at  the  battle  of  Poictiers. 

His  great-great-great-grandfather,  Robert  du  Ter- 
rail, after  a  life  spent  in  battles,  was  killed  in  action 
against  Anne  V.  de  Savoie  in  1337.  And  the  father 


359 


of  Robert's  grandfather,  fighting  most  valiantly  with 
his  son  at  the  battle  of  Tarey,  was  so  wounded  that 
he  died  in  1325. 

Bayard's  sword. 

The  sword  of  Bayard  is  in  possession  of  Sir  John 
P.  Boileau,  Bart.  On  it  are  two  legends  :  "  SOLI 
DEO  GLORIA,"  and  "  VINCERE  AUT  MORS."  Edward 
Cockburn  Kindersley  engraves  the  arms,  but  igno- 
rantly  places  over  them  a  squire's  helmet.  They  are, 
Azure,  a  chief  argent,  charged  with  a  lion  issuant 
gules,  over  all  a  filet  or  bend  or.  A  shield  given  by 
the  knight  to  Henry  VIII.  at  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of 
Gold  is  in  the  Guards'  Chamber  at  Windsor  Castle. 

Men-at-arms. 

Each  company  consisted  of  100  lancers,  or  men-at- 
arms,  who  were  all  gentlemen  :  hence  they  often 
refused  to  follow  inferior  infantry.  A  very,  few  men- 
at-arms  often  appear  to  do  wonders  ;  but  one  must 
always  multiply  the  number  by  six,  for  each  lance 
was  attended  by  three  or  four  archers,  an  esquire, 
and  a  page,  all  duly  armed. 

Henry  VIII.  offered  him  service. 

Pope  Julius  had  made  him  similar  proposals  in 
1503,  offering  to  make  him  captain-general  of  the 
Church.  Bayard  replied  that  "  he  had  but  one 
master  in  heaven,  which  was  God  ;  and  one  master 
upon  earth,  which  was  the  King  of  France,  and  that 
he  would  never  serve  any  other."  —  Extract  from  the 
History  of  Bayard  by  Champier. 


360 


Grande  buffe. 

"Le  bon  Chevalier  luy  vailla  si  grant  coup  sur  le 
hault  cle  sa  grant  buffe"  The  grande  buffe  was  a 
kind  of  bevor,  the  part  of  the  armour  for  the  head, 
which  served  to  protect  the  lower  part  of  the  face, 
the  visor  being  properly  the  defence  of  the  upper  ; 
but  the  terms  are  frequently  confounded.  Sir  Samuel 
Meyrick  calls  it  the  mentoniere.  Florio,  in  his 
Italian  dictionary,  gives  buffa,  the  buffie,  or  breathing 
hole  of  a  casque  or  headpiece.  Southey  confounds 
this  with  a  buff-coat. 

Epitaph  of  Bayard.  f 
EPITAPH  OF  THE  GOOD  KNIGHT  BAYARD, 

IN  THE  CHURCH   OF  THE  MINIMES, 
NEAR   GRENOBLE. 

Lapis  hie  suberbit  tumulo,  non  titulo    ....    Ubi 

sepultus  est  heros  maximus,  suo  ipsemet 

sepulchro  monumentum. 

D.   O.   M. 

PETRUS  TERRALIUS,  Bayardus,  vix  puber,  ad- 
dictus  castrensibus  operis,  praiclar£  factis  tempora 
elusit,  virtutis  miraculo  praelusit,  primo  ferme  militias 
tyrocinio  magnus  ;  prodigiosae  fortitudinis,  qua  domi, 
qu&  foris  spectacula  juvenis  dedit  ;  sed  illustri  prae- 
sertim  Italiae  theatro  lauris  adtexta  lilia  geminum  in 
fronte  honorem  divisgre.  Ubi  virum  animosa  ma- 
turitas  et  experientia  tulerunt,  quae  finxit  fortia  facta 
vetustas,  fecit.  Bayardum  Alcidi  confudit  impavidi 
et  inculpati  equitis  cognomentum  :  constantis  famas 


361 


vulgatu,  virtutis  appellationem  suo  nomine  occupavit. 
Tres  ilium  reges,  lustris  fere  septem,  gravibusgerendi 
belli  institutis,  suae  militias  prsefectum  habuerunt. 
Illi  honorem  stipendio  potiorem  emerito,  victori 
triumphalia  decora  virtus  decreverat  ;  sed  honoris 
currus,  tot  victoriis  onustus,  nutavit,  virtutis  magni- 
tudine  laboravit.  Regiae  vicis,  in  Delphinatus  pro- 
vincia  praefecto,  ingens  honore  fuit  honore  eo  non 
egere  ;  non  concessum  regni  insigne,  sed  praemium  ; 
regem  suum  gladii  succinctu  militiae  inauguravit. 
Illud  tandem  duci  semper  victori  deerat  ut  lethum 
vinceret  :  vicit:  attonitae  mortis,  nee  ausae  luctari, 
feriendum  se  fulmineo  telo  objecit.  Erubuit  haec, 
et  quod  victa,  et  quod  immatura.  Hie  equo  desiliens, 
victoriis  fessus,  sub  arbore  resedit,  et  vultu  in  hostem 
converse,  placide  oculos  et  diem  clausit  30  april  1524, 
aetatis  48. 

Moriturum  monumentum  non  morituris  cineribus, 
N.  Scipio  de  Polloud,  D.  Saint-Agnin,  suis  sumptibus 
accuravit. 


THE   END. 


V 


'Mfci 


